BATON ROUGE, LA – After cautiously acknowledging that Louisiana’s budget appears “temporarily stable,” lawmakers took swift action this week to ensure the condition is thoroughly examined before it spreads.
Members of the Louisiana Legislature announced the creation of 14 bipartisan committees tasked with studying the causes, risks, and long-term psychological effects of fiscal stability on state government.
“We cannot simply allow stability to exist without oversight,” one lawmaker explained while being sworn in as chair of the Joint Select Subcommittee on Responsible Revenue Anxiety. “If we don’t study this immediately, people might start expecting it.”
The committees will examine whether balanced books could negatively impact Louisiana’s economy by reducing the urgency traditionally associated with special sessions and last-minute negotiations. One working group will specifically explore how to maintain a “healthy sense of impending deficit” without technically running one.
Governor Jeff Landry praised the move, calling it “a proactive step toward ensuring stability remains carefully supervised.”
According to preliminary estimates, the 14 committees will require staff, consultants, and catered lunches totaling just slightly less than the amount currently keeping the budget stable.
Lawmakers insist the investment is necessary.
“We’re not spending money,” a committee member clarified. “We’re protecting stability from itself.”
