Governor Edwards is seeking 39 million dollars in new K-12 education funding, but House Republicans say the money is not there to do it. Political Analyst Clancy DuBos says another battle is shaping up between the governor and the House.
“It’s really a question as with every budget, what are the priorities?”
House Republican leaders say if they increase funding for public education, they’ll have to cut the budget somewhere else.
Edwards also continues to push to raise the minimum wage, and DuBos says a proposal to raise it to nine dollars an hour is likely to get further than last year, but it’s unlikely that any pro worker bills will pass.
“Too many of them are scared of LABI (Louisiana Association of Business and Industry), and they are scared of others, and lawmakers tend to vote out of fear more than anything else.”
The Louisiana Survey showed strong support statewide for a slight increase in the minimum wage.
So will we see anything substantial approved during this regular session?
A proposal to allow sports betting at the state’s casinos and racetracks has been approved by the Senate, but faces opposition from conservative House lawmakers. DuBos says sports betting is no safe bet to pass in this session.
“Lawmakers do not want to do anything or tackle anything controversial. This is an election year, and the rule of thumb in election years is, nothing controversial.”
The session must end by 6pm on June 6th.
