Three weeks are left in the 2013 regular session of the Legislature, and much water is left to run under the legislative bridge before sine die adjournment on June 6. The biggest issue left to resolve is the state budget, which has developed into a three-way tug of war between the House, the Senate and the governor. 

"Strong to the finish".

Popeye's message, "I'm strong to the finish cause I eats me spinich" could be the rallying call for all as the clock on the Louisiana Legislative session, version 2013, moves onward to a close.

The House-passed version of the State Operating Budget spends $200 Million in revenues from a tax amnesty plan to replace non-recurring revenues.

Louisiana’s budget is now more rosy this morning.

On Friday, as I watched the Louisiana House of Representatives debate the state’s FY 14 budget I couldn’t help, but wonder what happened to certain fiscal concerns that I didn’t hear addressed in the debate.

The self-styled “fiscal hawks” of the Louisiana House of Representatives won a couple of battles yesterday – at the cost of near-certain defeat in the larger war to control the state’s budgeting process and in empowering their strange bedfellow allies House Democrats.

Key Democrats and conservative Republicans in the state House are engaged in private negotiations to forge an agreement that could lead them to dramatically rewrite Gov. Bobby Jindal’s budget currently before the Legislature, lawmakers disclosed to The Lens over the weekend.