Louisiana Lawmakers Seeking Plenty of Pork This Session
When the Louisiana House of Representatives passed a $345 million supplemental spending bill last week, they made sure it was loaded with plenty of pork barrel projects.
In addition to the major appropriation bills, which provide more than $50 billion for the state’s operating budget, HB 560 provides supplemental funding for favored local projects, local government agencies agencies and private not-for-profit groups that arguably have no business getting taxpayer funds from the state. Nevertheless, it passed the House by a vote of 74-30 and now heads over to Senate for consideration.
Funding for HB 560 comes from a $1.6 billion state surplus because the government has been taking too much money from you in taxes over the last couple of years—but rather than getting a tax break from the state, you’ll be getting pork.
Tucked away in 51-page supplemental spending bill are hundreds of special-interest funding provisions inserted at the request of lawmakers. They include pet projects like local road repairs, park upgrades and other community projects that are typically the responsibility of local governments and not designed to be funded by the state. Here are just a few examples of the most egregious earmarks included in HB 560:
$1.1 Million so the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles Can Buy New License Plates
Every time you purchase a new vehicle in Louisiana, you pay a license plate fee based on the type/ weight/ and sales price of the vehicle you’re buying. The license plate fee ranges from $20 all the way up to $80 for big, fancy vehicles like a Cadillac Escalade. So why on earth does the state need a million dollars more of our money to buy license plates?
$3 Million for New Rice Mill at the South Louisiana Rail Facility
This pet project announced by the Edwards Administration back in 2020 is owned by the Jefferson Parish Police Jury. Curiously, its operated by a separate group of grain producers and private investors, and it doesn’t appear that they provide any public benefit or are accountable to taxpayers in any way. Nevertheless, the state provided $1.6 million to SLRF through the state’s Economic Development Award Program a couple of years ago, and now lawmakers want to send them $3 million dollars of your money.
$4 Million for Gov. John Bel Edwards’ Climate Action Plan
The Edwards Administration is seeking $4 million in taxpayer funding to advance their woke plan to decarbonize Louisiana and address some perceived inequality in the energy system.
$7 Million for Private Non-Profits
Louisiana lawmakers want to send more than $7 million in taxpayer funding to private, non-profit groups around the state. While many of these organizations may seem like worthy causes, is it really the job of government to confiscate your hard-earned dollars and decide which causes to send your money to? No! That’s your job! Citizens know best how to spend their own money.
$500,000 to the USS Kidd in Baton Rouge
$100,000 to the Gingerbread House Children’s Advocacy Center in Shreveport, LA
$150,000 to the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
$35,000 to the American Legion Post in Ponchatoula
$10,000 to Love Moved First, a non-profit home dedicated to empowering women in crisis
$650,000 to the Covington Youth Soccer Association
$125,000 to the Young Entrepreneurs Academy
$125,000 to the Baton Rouge Food Bank
$125,000 to The Emerge Center
$25,000 to the Miles-Hanna House, a historic home in Delhi, LA
$25,000 to the International Sustainable Resilience Center
$100,000 for the Mu Zeta Chapter of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
$50,000 to the Kings and Priest Institute, a non-profit that provides youth development programs in Denham Springs
$100,000 to the Freedom Ministries of Christ Church
$10,000 to the Mount Pilgrim Community Development Corporation
$25,000 to Tea Time Etiquette, LLC
$50,000 to the New Growth Economic Development Association
$500,000 to The Hospice Foundation
$25,000 to the LeSantuary, Inc Book Club
$100,000 for the Friends All United for Natchitoches Animals
$100,000 to the Tab-N-Action, Inc. for The Black-Tie Guys Youth Program
$500,000 for Teach for America
$25,000 for Empowering the Community for Excellence
$250,000 to the Louisiana Waterfowl Working Group
$120,000 to the Bethlehem Foundation of Hope, Inc.
$30,000 for the Historic Riverlands Church in St. John Parish
$70,000 to St. Charles Parish for the Odd Fellows Lodge #1342
$300,000 to the Special Olympics
$60,000 to the St. Martin 4-H foundation
$30,000 for church fairs at Visitation of Our Lady Church, ST. Anthony Church in Lafitte, The Greater St. John the Baptist Church of Barataria
$10,000 to Archbishop Shaw High School for the Seafood Festival
$250,000 to the YWCA of Greater Baton Rouge
$150,000 to the Calhoun Civic Club in Ouachita Parish
· $1 Million to Math Nation
· $500,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs in Louisiana, Inc.
· $100,000 to the Louisiana Alliance of Children’s Advocacy Centers
· $500,000to the Louisiana Bar Foundation
· $1 million to the Family Justice Center of Central Louisiana, Inc.
$5 Million for Low-Priority, Local Pet Projects
Lawmakers are also proposing to spend over $5 million in state-taxpayer dollars on non-priority projects for local governments. While many of the projects found in HB 560 go to local governments for priority projects, such as roads, water systems, and public safety, the projects listed here are for much lower priority activities that should be funded at the local level. They include funding for items such as parks, festivals and community centers. Again, perhaps they are worthy causes, but shouldn’t they be funded at the local level with input and support from local residents?
· $200,000 for an athletic park in Ponchatoula
· $500,000 for a park in Avoyelles Parish
· $1 million for a park in Rapides parish
· $25,000 to the town of Delhi for a high-speed passenger rail program
· $135,000 park repairs in Jefferson Parish
· $50,000 town of Logansport Christmas Festival
· $100,000 for park improvements in the village of Grand Cane
· $25,000 to parks in Oakdale
· $25,000 for parks in Allen Parish
· $250,000 for park upgrades in Kenner
· $75,000 to the New Orleans Recreational District Foundation for annual holiday in the Joe W. Brown Park
· $50,000 to the Greater New Orleans East Business Alliance
· $11,000 upgrades to the theater in Oak Grove
· $120,000 to Lake Providence for renovations to the community center
· $200,000 to restore the Rice theater in Crowley
· $100,000 for parks in Crowley
· $200,000 for parks in Rayne
· $1M to upgrade the sports complex in Youngsville
· $525,000 to Ascension Parish for clean energy education and advocacy initiatives
· $200,000 to the Jean Lafitte Seafood Festival
· $30,000 for parks in Jefferson Parish
· $50,000 for the Jefferson Davis Parish fairgrounds
· $250,000 to the town of Grand Isle for fishing pier repairs
These pet projects and other special provisions that are inserted into spending bills like HB 560 behind closed doors without much scrutiny or oversight can add up to hundreds of millions of dollars. They don’t support core government functions and they should not be funded with state taxpayer money.