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Jeremy Alford
LaPolitics.com

Numbers being questioned in budget negotiations

After months of meetings that failed to yield compromises and threats of a gut-wrenching string of legislative sessions, Gov. John Bel Edwards has finally shared with lawmakers his top policy priorities and a doomsday budget proposal.
But some lawmakers who were involved with the big reveal during Monday’s meeting of the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget were unsure about one thing: the numbers.
From how much money revenue proposals would bring in for the state to the size of the deficit the Legislature and administration must address, there were more than a few disagreements hosted by this most recent budget hearing over the inability to agree on such figures.
By law Edwards had to present a budget to lawmakers this week, which meant he also had to account for more than $1 billion in temporary tax revenue falling off of the books at the start of the next fiscal year on June 1.
Severe reductions to health care services and the TOPS scholarship program were a part of that rocky outlook, as were cuts to sheriffs, district attorneys, state parks, judges and other government stakeholders.
"This is what falling off the cliff looks like," Edwards told the committee, adding it’s not the budget he wanted.
But if lawmakers can rally around some of his revenue-generating proposals, the budget picture would improve, the governor said.
Rep. Lance Harris, R-Alexandria, the chairman of the House Republican Delegation, doubted that assessment, especially since the governor’s plan no longer calls for changes to personal income tax brackets.
Without that hefty tax alteration in the governor’s plan, Harris said the administration’s overall proposal for the 2018-2019 fiscal year still falls short by $300 million to $400 million.
"The governor's plan that’s out there now doesn't cover the shortfall," Harris said.
Acknowledging as much, Revenue Secretary Kim Robinson said later, "We have a little more work to do."
There’s also some uncertainty about how much of a boost the state would receive due to the tax changes implemented by Congress and President Donald Trump.
The governor said the state does stand to benefit from those changes, but he stopped short of placing a price tag on the new federal laws.
House Appropriations Chairman Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, also asked the administration for a financial analysis, or fiscal note, for each of its proposals.
The governor countered that all of his proposals have been debated by the Legislature already over the past two years and those fiscal notes are readily available for review.
Many lawmakers, however, believe fiscal notes could play a critical part in coming negotiations as Capitol players try to find common ground on how much money is needed and how much revenue would be generated by various proposals.

Edwards passes on Kennedy meeting

U.S. Sen. John Kennedy wrote to Gov. John Bel Edwards last week to "respectfully" request a meeting with him and CMS Administrator Seema Verma "to help expedite a waiver to institute work requirements for able-bodied Medicaid recipients."
Kennedy wants work requirements and Edwards said he’s open to the idea.
Kennedy also wrote in the letter, "The consultant the state recently hired is also welcome to join the meeting."
Edwards responded to Kennedy with his own letter a couple days later. The governor wrote that his administration not only started drafting the referenced requirements last year, but it also has already met with Verma.
Edwards also urged Kennedy to renew the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program and added that he’ll see the junior senator around, possibly at Washington Mardi Gras, which is scheduled for later this week.
"I look forward to meeting with you while in Washington, D.C., next week and discussing this and any other issues you see fit," the governor wrote.

Political History: The election that changed everything

Last week marked the 90th anniversary (Jan. 17, 1928) of a gubernatorial primary that forever changed politics in Louisiana.
The turning tide became visible when Public Service Commissioner Huey P. Long of Shreveport defeated Congressman Riley Joe Wilson and incumbent Gov. Oramel Simpson to win the Democratic nomination for governor.
Carrying 47 parishes and 44 percent of the vote, Long effectively captured the Governor’s Mansion, facing only nominal Republican opposition in the general election.
It was not Long’s first race for governor, as he had run four years earlier but finished third, behind Henry Fuqua, the Angola warden who would become governor, and Lieutenant Governor Hewitt Bouanchaud.
Later recalling that earlier 1924 contest, Long always maintained that a massive Election Day rainstorm kept his supporters home.
While he was stung by the loss, Long immediately started campaigning for the 1928 race. Privately recognizing that his north Louisiana base was not enough to win statewide, he focused his attention on Acadiana, knowing that rural, Cajun audiences would be receptive to his message of new roads and free textbooks.
Barnstorming the bayous and backroads in his bright new automobile, Long spoke to any crowd willing to invite him, often peppering his promises of social programs with biting humor and vicious personal attacks on his opponents. The crowds loved it.
The Long campaign was a family affair. The candidate’s brother, Earl, also criss-crossed southwest Louisiana as a surrogate, while back at headquarters, his 10-year-old son, Russell, was in charge of stuffing envelopes and licking the stamps.
Long’s opponents were no match for his oratory or his stamina and a coalition was formed relying on the support of New Orleans’ political ring, The Old Regulars; The Times-Picayune; and the Standard Oil Company. Strictly machine politicians, Wilson and Simpson preferred to make a only a few campaign appearances while the bosses drummed up support.
Their efforts were fruitless on Election Day, as rural voters turned out in record numbers, eager to cast their ballots for Long.
Moments before victoriously addressing his supporters, Long turned to his inner circle and said, "We’ll show ‘em who’s boss. You fellows stick by me… We’re just getting started."

They Said It

"The only people who are complaining about a town hall are the whack jobs who want to get on television."
—U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, to a reporter who asked about his town hall schedule, on a conference call

"There are some real opportunities that we can do without ruining the attractiveness of the outdoorsy-ness."
—Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, on the push to privatize state parks, in The Advocate

For more Louisiana political news, visit www.LaPolitics.com or follow Jeremy Alford on Twitter @LaPoliticsNow.

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