Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Special Session May Be Put Off
TIMES PICAYUNE
BY ED ANDERSON
(excerpt)
BATON ROUGE -- A special legislative session Gov. Kathleen Blanco has proposed for December should be shifted to January to avoid conflicts with the holidays and to better analyze how surplus revenues and other funds for economic development and insurance should be spent, two of the governor's chief floor leaders said Tuesday.
Blanco Chief of Staff Jimmy Clarke said he will meet with key lawmakers in the next week or two "to solicit their input on when to have the special (session), what should be in it." That would include how some of an estimated $827.3 million surplus from the fiscal year that ended June 30 and a projected $250 million surplus from the current fiscal year can be spent.
Sen. Tom Schedler, R-Mandeville, chairman of the GOP delegation in the Senate and one of the chief backers of an unsuccessful attempt to get lawmakers to call themselves into a Nov. 8-22 special session, said that Blanco came up with the December session as a ploy to deflate lawmakers' initiative.
LPNS COMMENTARY: THESE FOLKS ARE GOING TO BE SPENDING OVER A BILLION DOLLARS (SURPLUS?) OF OUR MONEY. PLEASE PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION TO WHAT THEY SPEND IT ON!
TO GIVE THEM YOUR INPUT:
GOVERNOR'S EMAIL- http://www.managekeelson.com/websites/la.gov/index.cfm?md=communication&tmp=signup&lisID=886
LEGISLATOR'S EMAIL- http://votervoice.net/Core.aspx?AID=426&APP=GAC&screen=Address&
