AP Wire

La. lawmakers try to cut state spending on office leases

by The Associated Press

The bill comes on the heels of revelations that state Treasurer John Kennedy, a U.S. Senate candidate and fiscal hawk, has spent hundreds of thousands on space in privately owned buildings while state-owned space was available.

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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana lawmakers are trying to shrink state spending on office leases, sending a bill to Gov. John Bel Edwards that seeks to maximize available space in state-owned buildings.

A 37-0 vote of the Senate on Tuesday gave final passage to the bill by Rep. John Schroder, a Covington Republican. The House already had unanimously supported the measure.

Supporters say the bill would help track vacancies in state buildings and steer state agencies to use that space, rather than outside leases that can be more expensive.

The measure would require the governor's administration to maintain a list of vacant space in state buildings. The administration would be required to notify state agencies that rent space in non-state buildings of available state office space.