Baton Rouge Temperature: 74°
Saturday, July 5, 2008

LEGISLATURE & POLITICS

House tweaks budget plan, chops economic chief’s pay

State Rep. Jim Fannin, D-Jonesboro, left, waits as state Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans, tries to put an amendment Thursday on House Bill 1 at the State Capitol.
Show Caption MARK SALTZ/THE ADVOCATE
  • By MICHELLE MILLHOLLON
  • Advocate Capitol News Bureau
  • Published: May 16, 2008 - Page: 1A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

Lawmakers chopped Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret’s pay Thursday but agreed to give school support workers a $1,000 bonus.

The state House of Representatives shaved $220,860 from Gov. Bobby Jindal’s $30 billion proposed state operating budget, reducing the amount of money the governor wants to pay Moret and a deputy secretary in the state spending year that begins July 1.

“Unfortunately, $320,000, I believe, exceeds the limit of what we need to pay someone who works for government,” said state Rep. Chuck Kleckley, R-Lake Charles.

Lawmakers also added spending to House Bill 1 before voting 102-0 to advance the budget legislation to the Senate.

The biggest addition was $48.6 million for school support workers. State Rep. Herbert Dixon, D-Alexandria, garnered the increase after he showed House members a “wall of shame” listing some of the workers’ salaries.

Along with HB1, the House sent the Senate two other important spending bills — House Bill 2, the state construction budget, and House Bill 3, the spending engine for the construction budget.

However, HB1 dominated the day, consuming hours of legislators’ time before they adjourned for the weekend.

“I think it is a document that we can be proud of,” said state Rep. Jim Fannin, D-Jonesboro and the bill’s sponsor, at the start of the seven-hour debate on HB1.

Earlier in the week, the House Committee on Appropriations cut $120 million from Jindal’s proposed budget.

The deepest cuts were to the Medicaid program that provides health care for the poor and to public colleges and universities.

The committee made the cuts in an effort to rein in the growth of state government.

Despite criticizing former Gov. Kathleen Blanco’s spending record, Jindal proposed a state operating budget that was larger than the plan Blanco originally proposed for the current fiscal year that ends June 30.

The budget funds a number of state services, primarily health care for the poor and public education.


Comments (6)
Your name:

Your e-mail: (Will not be published)
Terms of Service

patrick
Friday, May 16, 2008
8:51 AM

How funny is this, the guy that is working the hardest for the state, and doing a great job, is not getting rewarded with more money, he is going to be making less. Less then he would be making working for BRAC. And in the mean time the people who are supposed to be working for the state, the Legislators, (who are NOT doing a very good job) want more base pay. The Superintendent of Schools, Paul Pastorek, makes $350,000.00/yr. Charlotte Placide, Superintendent of Schools for East Baton Rouge Parish, makes $250,000.00/yr. Do you think they deserve the pay they are getting? Louisiana has some of the worst schools in the nation, but they still get paid a lot of money. So hats off to the House, way to reward the hard workers!!
Stacy F
Friday, May 16, 2008
8:51 AM

Considering that the Christian Conservative lawmakers have presented a bill to introduce creationism into our SCIENCE classes and a bill to block all state and federal funding of stem cell research ( while simultaneously giving Pennington Biomedical $50 million) paying Moret anything at all would be silly. We might as well just do away with the position all together. It is a joke to expect any real economic development while we are still mired in the dark ages. Without the backwards legislation, corruption and our tendency to litter our own neighborhoods, Moret could have made a difference and earned al of the $300,000+/yr. We shouldn't expect progress from this sort of legislation. It is just more of the same.
James S
Friday, May 16, 2008
1:37 PM

I don't think that Moret deserves such a huge salaray and Pastorek sure as hell does not! Moret's counterparts in other states make half of his predecessor's salary and kick us till we bleed on every major idustry relocation. Perhaps if he demonstrates really outstanding success he can be appropriately rewarded but only then. The legislature again demonstrated a total lack of spine on the Pastorek salary issue but that is hardly a surprise. The leges should thank God that they aren't paid what they're worth and shut up about raises.
Kate
Friday, May 16, 2008
1:39 PM

i think it is ridiculous how they are shaving all of this money away from the proposed operating budget, just so that they can get paid more. this is getting out of hand....leave it up to good ole louisiana politics.
Emily
Friday, May 16, 2008
5:14 PM

Many realize that if Stephen Moret's primary focus was on securing the highest salary possible, he would have never left McKinsey Consulting to become BRAC CEO. Through his impressive accomplishments at BRAC, he was singled out as for the State's top economic development position. Considering that his efforts in this position are already generating millions of dollars for the State's economy, it's really foolish for lawmakers to bicker over less than $100,000 in salary. With Moret's reputation and Havard MBA, he could easily secure a higher-paying position in the private sphere. It seems that our legislators are confused. They, Bush, and Cheny, campaigned on the premise of serving as ELECTED leaders, and we trust that THEY are willingness to give of their time in service instead of self-profit. Moret didn't raise money to run for a campaign for this job. He didn't committ to providing services at far below fair-market compensation, as is expected of our elected leaders, including our new governor. Still, it's quite obvious that Moret enjoys the challenge presented in his current leadership role and is not solely focused on earning the highest possible income; otherwise, he would have never left McKinsey. (By the way, neither is his wife, or she would never have agreed to him accepting positions with nonprofits and government!)Could it be that legislators are just a bit jealous to think that Moret's skills might be valued higher than their own? The good thing for the State is that Moret, not being primarily focused on self wealth, will most probably continue his inspired work , along with the outstanding staff that he has assembled, even without the deserved compensation. But then, if he wants to send his own children to Havard, how long will he put up with this petty bickering before he takes offers that will come from private business or even from a progressive state?
One lawyer
Friday, May 16, 2008
11:51 PM

It is very funny that we had a state wide hiring freeze, medicaid funding was cut as well as pre-school education and yet people are justifying paying one state employee $320,000/year. He will not starve on $245,000/year. Every person that works in state government makes much less than the private sector pays. In fact the Louisiana Civil Service Commision completed a job study recently which recommended the pay scale be raised to the avearge of our brother states and this proposal was delayed by the same administration asking that Moret be paid $320,000/year. Louisiana is a lot like animal farm.
ADVERTISEMENTS


PROMOTIONS


WBRZ CHANNEL 2