Lawmakers strip increase for Louisiana legislative agencies

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A proposal to boost spending on Louisiana's legislative agencies by nearly $12 million has been jettisoned by the House budget committee.

Legislative leaders had recommended the increase even as the House, Senate and other legislative agencies sit on $85 million in surplus cash for which they have no immediate plans.

The Appropriations Committee quickly stripped $11.6 million from the legislative budget proposal , before sending it to the full House for debate.

Under the revised proposal, spending on legislative agencies would remain largely flat in the upcoming 2019-20 financial year, at about $96 million.

Legislative agencies would receive $86 million through the budget bill advanced Monday and get a separate annual $10 million earmark for legislative agencies that's not included in the bill.

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House Bill 598: www.legis.la.gov