Jindal faces criticism as he attacks pork and government waste.
Resentment building over Jindal's 'threat'
Veto pledge irks some lawmakers
Mike Hasten
theadvertiser.com
BATON ROUGE - State lawmakers' resentment of what some have termed "a threat" to their legislative budgeting authority by Gov. Bobby Jindal is spreading.
Legislators, especially those in the House, are vocal about their displeasure with the governor saying he would veto local programs and projects that don't meet his criteria.
But Commissioner of Administration Angelle Davis, who would advise the governor on what projects to approve, said "the governor's letter is not intended to interfere with legislative budgeting. It laid out the guidelines he will use in deciding which (programs) to fund."
Jindal sent to the four chairmen of the House and Senate money committees letters that spell out four criteria he will use in approving state funding of local nonstate organizations and programs, known as "nongovernmental organizations" or NGOs. Copies of the letter were distributed to House and Senate members.
The letter states: "Any NGO funding that does not meet the following criteria will be vetoed."
Those criteria are that a proposal "must have statewide or substantial regional impact," must have been presented during the legislative session, "must be a state agency priority" and must be published online on a form that requires information about the agency and people requesting funds and what would be done with the money.
State Rep. Ernest Wooton, R-Belle Chasse, is the most publicly vocal lawmaker, essentially "calling out" the governor on the House floor.
"He is dictating to us," Wooton said, and a growing number of lawmakers agree with him. "The appropriation process is a function of the legislative branch and not the executive branch. I take that as a threat."
"He doesn't have authority to dictate to the Legislature what it can and can't do," said state Sen. Joe McPherson, D-Woodworth. "It's appropriate for him to indicate but not to dictate. Legislators are responsible to their constituents."
McPherson said the governor "can exercise his authority through the veto" if he doesn't approve of something the Legislature has done "but not issue an edict or try to be a dictator.
"The governor is stronger because of the Legislature's failure to self-regulate itself and only propose what we can pay for," he said. Because it doesn't, "we're giving the governor the authority to pick and choose and control legislators with approval of projects. ... He can't establish criteria for us to follow."
Davis said the governor's letter is "absolutely not" dictating to legislators and "is not intended to interfere with the Legislature budgeting" funds for projects and programs. "It's their right to include NGOs. It's our right to see that taxpayers' money is used wisely. These are guidelines."
State Rep. Don Trahan, D-Lafayette, said he believes legislators "have not been threatened" by the governor and his setting criteria for approving projects is "an attempt to be fiscally responsible.
"We can do whatever we think is legislatively and fiscally responsible," Trahan said, and the governor can say what he will veto. "He has that right. It's the process."
The guidelines are expected to reduce the number of NGOs in next year's budget that is now being assembled, Davis said.
"There are NGOs that do provide valuable services to the state but there are a lot that don't. We want to distinguish between the two," she said. Having open hearings on the worthiness of the programs would "eliminate the perception by taxpayers that these are slipped into the bill in the dead of night."
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