Several lawmakers are in a foul mood after failing to approve a construction budget. Ways and Means Chairman Neil Abramson says Senate changes to the spending plan made the bill unworkable and he didn’t bring it up for a vote in the regular session.

Franklin Representative Sam Jones asked Abramson why not send the bill to a conference committee to resolve the issues.

“You cannot put it in the conference committee report to fix that,” Abramson said.

“I object to your insult that the rest of us are too stupid to pass a bill out of here,” Jones said.

The construction budget funds road projects, repairs to public buildings and improvement to state parks. It will be taken up again in the special session, but Marrero Representative Patrick Connick says it should have been done in the regular session.

“The frustration that I have and that many of us have is we sat here for days doing nothing, and now we have no plan that I see going forward. There’s no communication between the House and the Senate,” Connick said.

The frustration over the lack of a vote on the construction bill can be felt on the senate side too. Metairie Senator Danny Martiny says what House leaders did was disrespectful.

“Whoever pulled that stunt yesterday over in the House showed a complete disrespect for what we do,” Martiny said.

The construction financing budget bill has already started to make its way through the legislative process in the special session, as the House Ways and Means Committee approved the spending plan without the proposed Senate changes.

More From News Talk 96.5 KPEL