After House Speaker Taylor Barras objects, no upgrade to Louisiana budget forecast

More than $43 million in budget priorities – mostly law enforcement expenditures – has been delayed again, after state House leadership again objected to an attempt at upgrading the state's economic forecast on Monday.

House Speaker Taylor Barras was the only member of the Revenue Estimating Conference to reject the advice of state economists about improved projections that would free up money to fund pay raises for corrections officers and cover costs of local sheriffs who house state inmates, among other priorities lawmakers identified in the state budget that began July 1.

"There just seems a number of concerns and we would seem to be taking a big leap of faith," said Barras, R-New Iberia. "I have to put our taxpayers first."

All other members of the revenue panel, Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne, LSU economist Jim Richardson and Senate President John Alario, R-Westwego, voted in favor of the latest projections, but REC votes must be unanimous, so Barras' vote against blocked the maneuver.

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