The Governor’s Executive Budget for the 2016-2017 fiscal year will be presented to lawmakers Saturday. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says if lawmakers want to spend only the money that they think is coming in to Louisiana in FY-17, it doesn’t look good.
The adopted economic forecast projects the deficit for the next fiscal year is around $2 billion dollars.
Governor John Bel Edwards said in a special televised address unless legislators resolve the state’s budget deficit there is a chance LSU football will not take place next fall. Political analyst Clancy Dubos said former four-term Governor Edwin Edwards used similar scare tactics to raise revenue successfully.
A special legislative session to address the state’s budget begins Sunday.
The Americans for Prosperity released a poll that shows a majority of Louisiana residents oppose Governor John Bel Edwards’ proposals to increase personal income taxes and state sales taxes to resolve the state’s budget shortfall. A-F-P state director Phillip Joffrion says these increases are disrespectful to the people of Louisiana.
Joffrion says the sales tax increase would put Louisiana at the highest combined local and state sales tax in the country.
Governor John Bel Edwards says TOPS students will not get a tuition bill this semester, despite money issues with the taxpayer funded scholarship. Edwards says if the state is unable to pay a TOPS recipient’s tuition, colleges will absorb those costs…
cut 14 (06) “current semester”
Edwards says while TOPS students will have their scholarships fully paid for this year, next school year is a different story, if the state doesn’t raise enough revenue to help pay for this program.