Vitter warns against short- term budget fix

Crawfish briefly trumped the issues of concern to U.S. Sen. David Vitter, but the candidate for governor said stabilizing the state’s budget is an obvious concern.
“I’m laying out a lot of ideas,” he said as he visited the World Championship Crawfish Etouffee Cook-off Sunday.
“There is only one governor at time,” he said. “For this upcoming legislative session I’m more of an observer, but I’m developing a lot of ideas for what I would do right out of the box. I said months ago I would immediately call a special session focused on spending and budget reform and for tax reform.”
Such a session would look at exemptions, deductions and credits, he said, “... deciding what makes sense and what doesn’t.”
Louisiana faces a $1.6 billion budget deficit as the Legislature begins its session.
Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration plans to fill the budget gaps with $750 million in tobacco settlement money. Kristy Nichols, commissioner of administration, has said the money would be used over eight years, mostly to pay of TOPS, the college tuition program.
“I’m concerned about any idea that takes big long term assets and bonds it out se we spend it immediately,” Vitter said. “At a minimum, I hope the governor and the Legislature do not do additional harm this year. Meaning they don’t do anything that digs the hole deeper for next year or takes a big long-term asset and spends it all in a year or two. I think that would be short-sighted.”
On another issue closer to the cook-off, Vitter said a guest worker permits are used up too early and businesses cannot get the workers they need.
The seasonal workers are used in the crawfish industry, particularly as pickers at processing plants.
The number of workers is capped at 66,000 a year.
“Without the ability to hire such seasonal workers, many local businesses will be severely impacted, and some may be unable to operate,” a letter to U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez by the state’s six congressmen and two senators stated.
Vitter added, “The Obama administration has been jacking the wage rates through the roof in a way that is really untenable for those businesses.”