Displaying items by tag: John Bel Edwards

You know the old expression, "when it rains, it pours".

surely, some in New Orleans must feel like that today including Mayor Mitch Landrieu and Governor John Bel Edwards as they face another day and another issue with the city's flooding.

This weekend, parts of the city flooded unexpectedly, in part due to insufficient pumping operations. Today, parts of the city are at high risk due to the rain and disrupted turbine.

• Mayor Mitch Landrieu signs a declaration of emergency for the City of New Orleans

• Governor John Bel Edwards signed an emergency declaration for the State of Louisiana

• Certain area;s drainage capacity are diminished for the East Bank of New Orleans, west of the Industrial Canal

Today, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and Mayor Mitch Landrieu have provided this information update:

From the governor who said he is “committed to open and honest budgeting that does not rely on the gimmicks of the past,” yet another past budget gimmick he endorsed surfaces.

It turns out that about $28 million used in the fiscal year 2018 budget does not exist yet, and may not before the close of the year. That money depends upon resolution of lawsuits favorably to Louisiana, which an additional about $8 million did come available recently.

State Representative Lance Harris (R­Alexandria), Chairman of the House Republican Delegation, released the following:

“Government should always strive to be less intrusive to citizens and business, spend its money efficiently, and deliver its core functions without raising taxes. This has always been and will continue to be the goal of the House Republicans. 

The Governor called the legislature into an "extraordinary" session in mid­ February. The revenue of the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, had fallen nearly $1 billion below projections. Thus, in order to continue government operations, the legislature would need to find areas of waste, cut certain services, and/or raise revenue. 

Treaurer John Kennedy, who is running for US Senate, has issued a strongly-worded statement regarding Moody's downgrading of Louisiana's credit rating.  In his statement, he appears to be making a direct attack upon Governor Jon Bel Edwards's administration,  former Governor Bobby Jindal, and perhaps the legislature.  Edwards who inherited a $950M deficit from Jindal for the remainder of the year and a $2.0 budget deficit for the upcoming fiscal year.

The big nut has been cracked?

The Louisiana House has agreed to raise the state sales tax by another penny of every dollar spent.

So, why, once again, is the Louisiana 's budget on the downswing, rarely ever really balanced, it seems.

Louisiana is on the throes of another major budgetary overhaul, with its elementary education system bleeding, its higher education on a respirator and its healthcare system being read its last rites.  

With the massive fiscal crisis facing Louisiana, legislators are looking at an array of solutions. In the short term, we will need a mixture of budget cuts and tax increases.  

For the second year in a row, Louisiana has received threatening news regarding the prospects of having credit downgrades.  Here is a statement released today by Governor Jon Bel Edwards's office, as the state attempts to solve a $950 shortfall for this current fiscal year and a $2 billion expected deficit for the fiscal year starting July 1, 2016.

The statement from the governor: 

There he goes again.

Treasurer John Kennedy, who is doubling as a candidate for US Senate, has had a penchant lately for making statements to the media and to the public that just don't add up or make sense.

Rocky start for JBE?

    A new poll by Southern Media and Opinion Research (SMOR) produced some interesting results on the current political climate in Louisiana.