As of April 25 I will be in Baton Rouge for the 2011 Regular Session of the Legislature. We adjourn on June 23, and we have important work to do, particularly concerning our state finances. This year we face a $1.6 billion shortfall in the state budget. There are only two ways to attack this problem: spending cuts or revenue increases. Governor Bobby Jindal has submitted his proposals for what the state should do in a $24.9 billion budget, details of which can be found at www.doa.louisiana.gov.

This Legislative Session is critically important because it will impact how we allocate scarce resources to provide important services to citiens. The Governor has suggested many changes, some of which will require the passage of Constitutional Amendments to be voted on later this year.

Here are some important areas for change:

State Government:
The Governor proposes that Louisiana sell some state prisons to private corporations. This would generate revenue, but would require that we pay the corporations to operate prisons into the future. It would also result in changes to the correctional system and could result in the loss of jobs for many state workers. Other budget recommendations involve laying off state workers, tuition increases, and privatization of the Office of Group Benefits, which governs state employees’ health care benefits.