Thanks to democratic governor John Bel Edwards determination to put Louisiana's fiscal house in order long range, the state legislature passed a $29.5 billion budget that has balance and prevents cuts to needed services that have taken a hit for a number of years. The budget also retains part of the sales tax set to expire on June 30 that will allow the state to rely on this revenue source for the next seven years and eliminate the guessing games of the past.
TOPS, higher education and other services are fully funded in the budget and is a huge break from the past. Governor Edwards had to call 3 special sessions of the legislature this year to deal with the budget problem and the republican controlled legislature finally decided to support the governor's approach to break the fiscal cliff mentality that put the state in a horrible fiscal position.
Governor Edwards understood from the time he took office that cuts alone would not balance the states budget or put the state on a sound fiscal footing. He also understood that ideology does not solve problems so he did what democrats do best, he developed a plan and a policy based on needs and stuck to it while the republicans tried to discredit the governor's every move without success.
Louisiana can now move on another one of the governor's priority and that is tax reform. A tax system that is fair across the board and help move Louisiana and its people forward for a better economy. With the right leadership it can be done. The budget agreement signals it can be done.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
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