Post by pavel on Mar 1, 2016 5:03:31 GMT -6
BATON ROUGE — Louisiana Senate President John Alario said Monday the suggestion the Legislature could carry over its budget deficit into next year made him sick.
"This gives me stomach pains," Alario said during a Senate Finance Committee meeting in which House Appropriations Chairman Cameron Henry's bill extending potential budget cuts was being debated.
Although Louisiana's Constitution requires lawmakers to balance the budget, Henry said it was one of the scenarios and contended it had been done with $117 million last year. House Fiscal Division director Patrick Goldsmith agreed it was a possibility if the budget wasn't balanced.
But Alario, R-Westwego, said members didn't knowingly move last year's deficit into the current year. It was discovered later after the budget was technically balanced.
Read more: www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2016/02/29/deficit-spending-no-way-says-senate-committee/81113374/
"This gives me stomach pains," Alario said during a Senate Finance Committee meeting in which House Appropriations Chairman Cameron Henry's bill extending potential budget cuts was being debated.
Although Louisiana's Constitution requires lawmakers to balance the budget, Henry said it was one of the scenarios and contended it had been done with $117 million last year. House Fiscal Division director Patrick Goldsmith agreed it was a possibility if the budget wasn't balanced.
But Alario, R-Westwego, said members didn't knowingly move last year's deficit into the current year. It was discovered later after the budget was technically balanced.
Read more: www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2016/02/29/deficit-spending-no-way-says-senate-committee/81113374/