Political horizons for June 14, 2009

• By MARK BALLARD
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Jun 14, 2009

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Last Thursday could be one of those days in Louisiana history destined to be an essay question.

Think about “Bloody Monday” in March 1929 when Louisiana House members literally brawled over an abrupt adjournment to avoid a move to impeach then-Gov. Huey Long.

Thursday was that epic kind of day.

It started with an unprecedented visit to Gov. Bobby Jindal by four of the five living former governors. They were lobbying against the deep budget cuts to higher education that Jindal wants.

Jindal responded that he would find more money to raise the state’s contribution for the budgets of public colleges, universities and technical schools to roughly $1 billion. It was about $1.4 billion last fiscal year.

“The proposed cuts were too much,” said former Gov. Mike Foster, Jindal’s political godfather. “It’s just a matter of slowing the train down a little bit.”

The day ended when House leaders asked their colleagues to support Senate changes and send Jindal a budget they know is out of balance. By accepting House Bill 1, as prepared by the Senate, and by refusing to consider the upper chamber’s ideas for softening the fiscal blow on higher education, the House advanced a budget that — perhaps illegally — lacks enough revenues to cover the proposed spending.

When a few representatives asked for an explanation, the majority, which in this session has done whatever Jindal wants, voted to end discussion and approve the budget as is.

“It was just rammed down our throats,” said state Rep. Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge. Debate was swiftly silenced, added Rep. Karen Peterson, D-New Orleans.

The House majority, at Jindal’s urging, repeatedly blocked efforts to add money. It derailed legislation that would postpone promised tax benefits and let stand Jindal’s rejection of so-called federal economic stimulus dollars. They refused to directly tap a fund set aside for deficits.

Echoing the governor, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jim Fannin, D-Jonesboro, said state government needs to get smaller and to shepherd its resources because the state’s budget problems are going to get worse.

During the past few years, when state government ended each fiscal year with surpluses, elected officials trimmed certain taxes to return those dollars to taxpayers. At the same time, they did not shave spending. This year those tax cuts removed more than $500 million from a budget that has $1.3 billion less revenues than last year.

The Senate’s plan sends to higher education another $118 million that would have come from postponing some of those tax benefits. Higher education has to cut about $219 million.