BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Health care topped the list of requests from people who asked senators to include their needs in Louisiana's $24 billion budget for next year.
With money tight and cuts on the horizon, the wants far outweigh the dollars available as the Senate Finance Committee held public testimony Saturday, the day when the general public can lodge its budget requests...
Matt Dugas, finance director, said after the meeting the full impact of the board's decision Tuesday had not yet been calculated, but prior to the vote, the board chipped its $7.3 million shortfall down to $7.2 million.
Before the board ended its meeting, Assistant Superintendent Sandra Billeaudeau appealed to the board to move to the instructional staffing accounts as soon as possible.
The Wisconsin Republican's moves promise to balance the government's books with wide-ranging cuts to programs like food stamps and government-paid health care for the poor and working class.
The Department of Education says the budget is about $15 million less than what the department expects will be needed to cover the increased student count next year.