Blueprint Louisiana Urges Budget Flexibility‏

Blueprint Louisiana Chairman Jimmy Maurin issued the following statement today regarding the state budget situation:

A quote in 2010 from former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan provides a succinct summary of the choices facing state lawmakers on the budget: "Our choices right now are not between good and better; they're between bad and worse." For whatever reasons, state revenues are not rebounding as quickly as hoped, continuing to produce state budget shortfalls -- even when expenditures have been curtailed -- that are neither pleasant not productive. Critical health care and higher education funding remains over-exposed to the budget ax as part of undedicated programs financed with the State General Fund.

In times like these, it seems more flexibility, not less, gives leaders the most options to do the least amount of harm to vital services. That is why Blueprint Louisiana supports budget flexibility that may be provided by the use of one-time money, a "funds sweep," or the Budget Stabilization Fund to put together another budget that doesn't cripple higher education offerings or health care services relied upon by thousands of Louisianians. These tools are built into our Constitution and laws for times such as these. Certainly, we must continue to do everything we can to make government as efficient as possible. But if we continue to cut higher education or price it out of the reach of our citizens, where will our employers find their future workers? If we can't care for our most vulnerable, that, too, will impact our current and future workforce. Louisiana must continue to make the best of a challenging budget situation. We should attempt to do that with as much flexibility as possible.