SLIDELL, LA – State Rep. Kevin Pearson (R-Slidell) said a special session of the Legislature to deal with budgetary issues in advance of the regular fiscal session beginning in April would be a waste of time and taxpayer dollars.
"Mid-year budget issues are, unfortunately, commonplace," Pearson said. "So far, Gov. Edwards has shown no indication that he will call a special session, but the Advocate [newspaper] editorialized that he should.
"As happened last year, we can reasonably anticipate that governor's appetite will be for raising taxes, and no one – not the Legislature and certainly not the public – has the appetite for that," Pearson said. "Talk of a Constitutional Convention to address burdensome dedications is all well and good, but until the governor identifies what statutory and constitutional dedication cuts or revisions he would support, it's a non-starter.
"Respectfully, the governor should ignore calls for a special session and do his job, working with the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget to make cuts where they must be made," Pearson said. "Nobody said it's easy, but it is his job to live up to campaign promises and it's everyone's job to hold him accountable."
