House Conservatives Key to Reining in Excessive State Spending and Activating Pro-Growth Tax Cuts During Final Hours of Session Debate
It’s no secret that government spending in Louisiana is out of control. Every year, no matter how much money the government has, politicians always find ways to spend more—and too often they spend it on political pet projects and other wasteful things they want, rather than the things taxpayers actually need.
This Legislative Session, Governor John Bel Edwards and the state Senate are putting on a masterclass in excessive government spending that illustrates this point perfectly. Now it is up to House conservatives to put a stop to the madness and advance policies that will get Louisiana’s economy back on track. Here’s what you need to know.
After less than 5 minutes of discussion and no questions or debate, the Louisiana Senate advanced a package of budget bills Monday, which seek to bust the state spending cap in order to continue the unprecedented spending spree that Louisiana has been on over the last eight years. Under Governor Edward’s leadership, state spending has increased by over 80%, while the budget has consistently grown faster than our economy year-over-year. Now, under a proposed plan backed by Gov. Edwards and approved by the Senate yesterday, the state would be allowed to exceed its own self-imposed expenditure limit and grow government by an additional $250 million in the current year and $1.4 billion in the new fiscal year that begins July 1.
Some legislative leaders claim that the unprecedented government spending is necessary in order to fund teacher pay raises and provide supplemental pay for police officers. While those may sound like great talking points, as the old saying goes, “the devil is in the details.” And many of the details in the proposed state budget have nothing to do with teachers or police.
$100,000 for roses. $250,000 for marching band uniforms. $1.5 million for a politically connected non-profit. These are just a few pet projects that will be funded with your state tax dollars if the Louisiana House agrees to continue the state’s unprecedented spending spree. There are thousands more baked into the Senate-backed budget bills that won’t help teachers or police. Most of these obscure and unnecessary initiatives will never make a difference in your life either— but you’ll be paying for them for a long time.
Conservative lawmakers in the House cannot allow this to happen. At a time when Louisiana’s stagnant economy can’t keep up with skyrocketing inflation, pro-growth tax cuts are needed now more than ever.
With millions of people and jobs fleeing high-tax states like Louisiana in favor of no-income tax states like Texas and Florida, it is imperative that lawmakers keep working to advance policies that reduce taxes and enable families and workers to keep more of their own money.
Right now, House conservatives have an opportunity to do just that. All they have to do to provide tax relief for millions of Louisiana families is cut out wasteful pet projects, keep state spending under the expenditure limit, and put the excess cash in the Rainy Day Fund where it belongs. This will trigger tax relief mechanisms that are already in place to lower personal income tax rates and allow taxpayers to keep more in their pocketbooks.
Only time will tell if the Louisiana Legislature is willing to take a stand and do the right. The final debate hinges on whether or not House conservatives can hold the line on excessive spending and force negotiations on a responsible budget deal. The Legislative Session must conclude by Thursday, June 8th at 6 pm, so stay tuned!