Louisiana Budget Project Director Jan Moller released the following statement about Gov. Bobby Jindal’s executive budget:
“This certainly is a better budget than what we’ve seen in recent years. The administration deserves credit for recognizing the hard work of state employees by giving them a well-deserved raise, restoring some dollars for colleges and universities and chipping away at the unconscionable waiting lists for home- and community-based services.
“Unfortunately, it’s not enough. Louisiana has cut its higher education investment more than any other state over the past five years, and the new money in this budget only restores a fraction of what’s been lost.
“And too many hard-working Louisianans continue to languish without health coverage when all the governor has to do is accept available federal dollars. The state would have an extra $105 million to invest in critical priorities next year if Gov. Jindal would agree to extend Medicaid coverage to 242,000 uninsured adults.”
