There are at least two distinct camps in the ongoing debate over the state’s impending budget crisis.
On one side, Gov. John Bel Edwards is hoping to minimize the cuts to state services necessitated by an estimated $1 billion shortfall in next year’s budget.
And Republican members of the Legislature are hoping to avoid any new taxes that would help offset the $1 billion in temporary sales taxes that will expire at the end of June.
It is unlikely that either side will be completely satisfied with the outcome of the debate. But the debate must be settled in the coming weeks so Louisiana can keep its budget balanced.
This week, there has been some indication that compromise is possible – a sign that the two sides might be willing to give in to each other to increase the eventual likelihood of passing a budget that balances the books without decimating the services our state provides.
Some GOP lawmakers have said they want Edwards to embrace several budget reform measures in exchange for their support of some taxes.
“Without the reform ideas being part of the agenda, it’s going to be difficult to get any significant revenue measures passed,” House Speaker Taylor Barras said after meeting with the governor.
That is true. And it is a healthy recognition that the two sides, though separated by ideology, have a common goal of getting a workable state budget passed.
Edwards has said he will probably call a special legislative session next month to work on the budget crisis. But, he has also said that he doesn’t want to call the special session unless he has an understanding with the Republicans on how the budget process should proceed.
It is imperative that the two sides communicate and cooperate. Those may be rare occurrences in our increasingly partisan political realm, but they are absolutely necessary if Louisiana is going to emerge from this crisis without gutting its health care and higher education spending.
The fact that there are now some signs of progress, at least in a willingness to consider compromises, is positive news for everyone across Louisiana, even those whose loved ones aren’t college students or hospital patients.
The services provided by colleges and hospitals improve the quality of life for everyone. And they cannot continue to bear the brunt of these budget shortfalls.
Louisiana’s budget woes demand the hard work and cooperation of interests across the political spectrum. This news suggests that may be taking place.
Let’s hope so.
Editorials represent the opinion of the newspaper, not of any individual.