Wednesday, April 19, 2006
LEGISLATIVE BUDGET $70 MILLION
ADVOCATE
By MARSHA SHULER
Capitol news bureau
(excerpt)
Louisiana’s legislative auditor won initial approval Tuesday to add 20 new employees to aid state and local governments in their financial dealings with FEMA.
The Legislative Budgetary Control Council approved the employee addition as it endorsed a $71.7 million budget for the Legislature and its agencies. The legislative budget for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, is $70 million.
The legislative appropriations bill, reflecting the proposed spending plan, got filed Tuesday — the last day of bill filing in the current session. It must be approved by the full Legislature and by Gov. Kathleen Blanco to become law.
With the increase, the Legislative Auditor’s office will have 227 employees and a $19.07 million budget.
It took longer to get a quorum gathered than it took for the Budgetary Control Council to endorse the spending plan.
