House Committee Addresses Next Year’s Budget

The House Appropriations Committee has cut nonessential spending across state agencies and raided a state economic development fund to balance next year's budget. Lawmakers stripped out all contingent dollars proposed by Governor Jindal, including money from a proposed
prison sale and from rerouting tobacco settlement dollars to the state's TOPS tuition program. The committee used 82-million dollars from the state's economic development "mega-fund" to cover the gap. The 2011-12 budget heads to the full House for debate next week.