WikimediaBATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — House lawmakers are proposing to cut spending across legislative agencies next year, reversing course from an initial plan that would have shielded their budget from slashing.
The House Appropriations Committee on Monday backed an $86 million financing proposal for the House, Senate, legislative auditor and other offices that work for lawmakers in the budget year that begins July 1.
That's down from $96 million this year.
The proposal was advanced to the full House for consideration. It dovetails with Gov. John Bel Edwards' recommendation for a 10 percent cut to the legislative budget as Louisiana grapples with a $600 million shortfall next year.
Lawmakers on the committee also advanced a proposed 10 percent cut next year to the $187 million budget for the Louisiana Supreme Court and other judicial agencies.