|
April 18, 2008
Dear Editor,
The time for spending reform is now!
Governors in Louisiana have been referred to as "kings"
because of their absolute control of state construction
spending. The result has been that universities,
hospitals, state agencies, local governments and
legislators have been held hostage to the governor's
wishes.
Governor Jindal will not always be our
governor. Now is the time to remove the politics of old.
As a past Chairman of the House
Appropriations Committee, twice Vice-Chair of the Senate
Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee and a former member
of the Bond Commission, I recognized early on the need
to get the "politics" out of the construction budget.
For years, I have tried to reform the process. This
year, Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) again lays out my plan for
capital outlay budget reform.
I applaud Governor Jindal's support of this
effort. The Speaker of the House and Governor Jindal's
floor leaders in the Senate have introduced legislation
similar to my SB 1.
SB 1 provides a mechanism for prioritizing projects
submitted by the governor and approved by the
legislature. Past capital outlay budgets were merely a
"wish list." Legislators would "load up" the budget with
projects exceeding the available funds and the governor
would pick and choose what would be funded. SB 1 removes
the politics of old by limiting the number of projects
to the actual money available to ensure funding.
SB 1 will create more transparency by establishing
common sense and meaningful priorities within a 5-year
state construction budget plan. Additionally, SB 1 will
require feasibility studies for projects in excess of $3
million and limits non-state projects to 20% of the
budget.
It is a bold move for Governor Jindal to
remove what has been a heavy-handed political tool in
our state government. I applaud the Governor for
recognizing the need for this reform, for embracing it
and for championing the cause. We must now monitor the
legislative process during this session to ensure that
real reform actually happens.
Sincerely,
Robert Adley
Senator
District 36
611 Jessie Jones Dr.
Benton, LA 71006
(318-965-1755)
|
