The final act of this year’s special session trilogy is less than a week away, with the administration and many legislators scrambling to find some extra cash for programs like TOPS, which is facing a 30 percent cut. House Appropriations Chairman Cameron Henry says the Department of Health is one place the state should look if it wants to plug the budget gaps.
The Metairie Republican says LDH has 110 million dollars in funded vacant positions, which are jobs that have money allocated, but are not currently filled. The Representative says it would take roughly 90 million dollars to fund the remainder of TOPS. Henry says the legislature could also consider taking away state workers’ pay raises to fill part of the budget gap.
The thrid special session starts Monday and must end on June 26.