Healthcare, education dollars stripped

By The Associated Press | The Natchez Democrat

Published Monday, May 12, 2008

BATON ROUGE (AP) — Gov. Bobby Jindal’s $30 billion budget proposal for next year was pared down Sunday by $120 million, after the House’s budget committee stripped millions of dollars in health care and education sought by the governor.

The Appropriations Committee removed new dollars slated for the state Medicaid program that provides health care services to the poor, uninsured and elderly, for public colleges and universities and for elementary and secondary education programs.

The committee then added more money for 140 of their own local projects and organizations, despite threats from the governor that he might strip those types of projects out with his line-item veto.

Rep. Jim Fannin, chairman of the committee, said the panel didn’t slash many programs below what they receive in the current budget year, but rather reduced the increases and new programs proposed by Jindal for the 2008-09 year that begins July 1.

“The people of this state wanted for us to look very carefully at the budget, to try in every way we could to have a more efficient budget. We have tried our very best,” said Fannin, D-Jonesboro.

In less than 10 minutes, the committee made 42 pages of changes totaling millions of dollars — with little discussion of those changes — then approved the budget bill and sent it to the full House for debate. The House is scheduled to begin debate on the budget bill Thursday.

The Appropriations Committee held weeks of hearings since March about the governor’s spending recommendations but waited until the state’s income estimates were revised last week before making its changes to next year’s budget proposal.

The committee on Sunday evening removed all one-time money that had been slated to pay for ongoing programs, amid concerns by many lawmakers who say it’s irresponsible to pay for continuing costs with money that might not be available in later years.

By comparison, about $800 million in one-time cash was used to pay for ongoing services in the current year, a practice used for years in the state.

However, if lawmakers pass an income tax break being debated in the session, they would have to add one-time money back into the budget.