The Louisiana Budget Project’s latest report, Scary Movies-Louisiana’s 2011 Budget, previews the Governor’s Executive Budget, to be released on Friday.
The Budget Project projects that the Governor’s budget for the next year will rely almost entirely on deep spending cuts to make up for shortfalls in revenues. Departments facing cuts include Health and Hospitals, Social Services, Corrections, and possibly higher education. While popular with some audiences, LBP analysts warn that a slasher film approach to Louisiana’s budget will represent real and difficult reductions in services for Louisiana families and children.
A majority of states, when faced with revenue shortfalls last year, chose a balanced approach, one that included revenue increases in addition to strategic spending cuts.
Specific programs that may face severe cuts or elimination include:
- LACHIP, which provides health care coverage to over 125,000 Louisiana children
- Prescription drug access, serving 814,677 residents
- Personal Care Services, providing assistance that helps recipients remain at home rather than in a nursing home, to 15,731 elderly and disabled.