(The Center Square) − Louisiana lawmakers passed the state’s $49.3 billion general appropriations budget (House Bill 1) on the final day of the legislative session, with near-unanimous support. It will now head to Gov. Jeff Landry’s desk to be signed into law.
Rep. Danny McCormick, R-Oil City, cast the lone vote against the bill, citing frustration over reduced funding for the Louisiana Giving All True Opportunity to Rise scholarship program.
The Senate made several adjustments to the House’s original budget:
An extra $709 million for the Louisiana Transportation Infrastructure Fund, $630 million of which will go to the Highway Priority Program.
$82 million was appropriated for the executive department, which includes the Governor’s office.
$1.6 billion was appropriated to the Louisiana Department of Health, largely stemming from federal funding for Medicaid.
$279 million for Louisiana Economic Development and the LED Initiatives Fund.
Other added funds by the Senate include $67.2 million for the Modernization and Security Fund, $115 million for higher education and the Campus Revitalization Fund and $5 million to the Department of Children and Family Services for child welfare costs.
The LA GATOR program — Gov. Jeff Landry’s school voucher initiative — saw its funding drop from the $93 million originally requested to $43.5 million. Lawmakers redirected funds to support high-dosage tutoring efforts in public schools.
Rep. Philip Tarver, R-Lake Charles, made clear that LA GATOR’s funding was not cut, only that the program received no additional funding.
McCormick questioned whether legislators had a plan to increase its funding in the future. Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, who authored HB1, noted that current funding covers all eligible voucher students for now.
Of the 40,000 applications received, only about 10,000 came from public school students. The rest were already enrolled in private schools, McFarland said.
“Because the Legislature refused to fund LA GATOR, these children will continue to wait,” Daniel Erspamer, CEO of the Pelican Institute, wrote in a statement. “I’m heartbroken for the tens of thousands of families who raised their hands to ask for another option. We will not give up on them, even if the Legislature failed them today.”
Despite the overall increase in the state’s total budget — driven by interagency transfers and an influx of federal funds including $1.6 billion for Medicaid — Tarver noted there was only a 1.2% increase from last year in the state general fund.
In addition to the main budget bill, lawmakers passed HB460, the supplemental appropriations bill and HB2, the capital outlay bill.
The state capital outlay bill funds long-term infrastructure and construction projects, while the supplemental appropriations bill adjusts the current year’s budget to account for unexpected needs, surplus allocations, or updated revenue forecasts.
The supplemental appropriations bill, also by Rep. Jack McFarland, includes $245 million in added state general fund spending and sets aside nearly $149 million of the state’s surplus to pay down debt in the Louisiana State Police Retirement System.
Lawmakers also appropriated $3.4 million for judgments against the state and formally recognized a series of past and pending appropriations as valid obligations through June 2026.
