Proposed cuts lead to budget limbo

• By MICHELLE MILLHOLLON
• Capitol news bureau
• Published: May 5, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Just a few weeks ago, lawmakers talked about reining in the growth of state government by slashing Gov. Bobby Jindal’s first state operating budget by 5 percent.

However, the suggested reductions that are emerging from a series of budget subcommittees are far less than that.

“We’re going to have to make some cuts, some place,” said Rep. Elbert Guillory, D-Opelousas. “This is more a fat- trimming exercise than anything else.”

Some lawmakers are holding onto their fiscal conservative stance. Others argue that only so much can be cut before state services begin to suffer. Still others want to smash open the state’s piggybank and divvy up the proceeds among taxpayers by eliminating the state income tax.

A little budget limbo is at play.

Lawmakers want to see how low they can go with reductions without being catastrophic, said Rep. Jim Fannin, D-Jonesboro and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

For taxpayers, the stakes are high. Tax bills could plummet. College tuition could increase. Emergency rooms could overflow with patients because of cuts to public health care.

It all hinges on what lawmakers decide to do before the regular session wraps up next month.

Jindal is staying mostly silent on the struggle over his $30 billion proposed state operating budget for the spending year that begins July 1.

But Rep. Tom McVea, R-St. Francisville, said Friday that three plans now are on the table — Jindal’s budget, a 5 percent reduction and a “minimal” slim-down.

“I’m kind of in a precarious situation with having a lot of state institutions in my district,” said McVea, who chairs the health care and social services subcommittee.

McVea’s subcommittee calculated minimum and maximum adjustments to the proposed health care and social services budgets.

The subcommittee suggested that the full appropriations committee make the minimum adjustment of about $31 million, shying away from a more drastic reduction of $78 million.