Louisiana
Governor Jeff Landry issues hiring freeze as Louisiana faces budget shortfall, cuts
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry issued a statewide hiring freeze Wednesday as the state faces a budget shortfall and voters rejected a proposed amendment that would have generated funding for teacher pay raises in next year’s spending plan.
Landry said he hopes the hiring freeze will generate $20 million in annual savings for the state’s general fund.
“To ensure the long-term fiscal health of Louisiana and protect essential services for our most vulnerable citizens, we must take decisive action now to address revenue shortfalls,” Landry said in a statement. “By implementing a temporary hiring freeze, we will reign in spending, saving an annualized $20 million.
“This is a necessary step to give the Legislature more options, to prevent deeper cuts to healthcare and education and to safeguard the future of our state.”
Republican House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jack McFarland of Winnfield said the hiring freeze is a prudent step to help address the state’s projected $194 million budget shortfall going into the next fiscal year.
McFarland leads the committee that crafts the state budget and is holding ongoing budget hearings to prepare for next year’s spending plan.
“It gives us the opportunity to find savings where we can to avoid or minimize cuts to critical services,” McFarland said in an interview with USA Today Network.
McFarland said it’s his understanding that some jobs that are considered critical could still be filled after a review from the administration.
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.