Jindal vetoes spending information bill

• By MARSHA SHULER
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Jul 12, 2008 - Page: 9A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Gov. Bobby Jindal vetoed more bills Friday, including one that would have required more information to be available, and earlier, about changes the governor is proposing in state spending.

In his veto message, Jindal said the legislation is “redundant.”

Jindal did not object to Senate Bill 262 sponsored by state Sen. Lydia Jackson, D-Shreveport, as it made its way through the Legislature.

Jackson said she was surprised by the veto.

“I thought the bill was very consistent with the (governor’s) proclamation about transparency,” Jackson said Friday. “It would make it easier for citizens and legislators to understand early on in the budget process when there were going to be changes.”

The bill would have required inclusion of a report explaining increases or decreases in state spending as a result of “policy changes” the governor is proposing in his budget proposal.

In his SB262 veto message, Jindal wrote he is concerned about the legislation’s “broad definition” of policy changes.

“Second, to a large extent, much of this information is already included, which makes this bill redundant to the requirements of existing law,” Jindal wrote.

Jackson said Democrat Gov. Kathleen Blanco vetoed similar legislation earlier. “Now, it’s been vetoed by Republican Jindal. So I guess it must be great legislation,” she said.

Jackson’s SB262 was one of four bills Jindal vetoed Friday. That brings to 29 the number of bills approved by the Legislature that he has axed.

Another of the bills Jindal axed would have created a new exception to state conflict-of-interest laws for physicians who serve on hospital service district boards in areas affected by the 2005 hurricanes.

House Bill 922 would have allowed the physicians to transact some business with the entities without being subject to sanctions by the Louisiana Board of Ethics.

In vetoing the bill, Jindal also for the second time rejected an attempt to help Iberia Parish Councilman Bernard Broussard avoid conflict-of-interest laws.