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Budget bill stakes high for the state La. has one of highest per-capita percentages of residents on Medicaid BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS By JAVIER GALLEGOS
East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards answers questions from the media about his new plan for the cityparish’s budget during a Tuesday news conference at Café Américain.
Edwards threatens job cuts if library plan fails Mayor-president: EBR facing $52M budget hole
BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER
Staff writer
East Baton Rouge Parish MayorPresident Sid Edwards said Tuesday he could cut 600 to 700 jobs — up to 14.6% of all employees — and reduce some government services if his plan to rededicate money that currently goes to parish libraries does not pass. “I like books and libraries, but I like people more,” Edwards said in a speech to the East Baton Rouge Parish Chamber of Commerce. The city-parish employs about 4,500 people, Chief Administrative Officer Charlie Davis said. Even if the plan passes, some jobs will be cut, said Communications Director Falon Brown. The city-parish government is facing a $52 million budget hole because the new city of St. George is up and running and collecting its share of prop- Assistant East Baton Rouge Parish Library Director Mary Stein takes notes on erty tax revenues. Earlier this month, Edwards an- Mayor-President Sid Edwards’ plan to move the library’s budget into the citynounced a plan to move the library’s parish’s general fund. budget, which is currently independently funded by its own property and instead use it to give big pay raises — for how to spend the money that tax, into the parish general fund. That to police, among other changes. would come from the libraries. Edwards announced a new plan Tueswould allow the parish to take some ä See CUTS, page 6A money that currently goes to libraries day — which he called Revive EBR
WASHINGTON — As Republicans look to cut more than a trillion dollars out of the federal budget, some state leaders and health care officials worry that steep cuts to Medicaid could be on the table, which could blow a hole in the state budget and cause deep cuts in services to the 1.6 million Louisiana residents on the program. “The Medicaid cuts that are being discussed by think tanks and in Washington, without a doubt, would harm our ability to provide lifesaving care for Medicaid patients across Louisiana,” said Ryan Cross, vice president for government affairs at the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, which operates seven regional medical centers and urgent care centers scattered throughout Louisiana. But some, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, and Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, say those fears are overblown. “Everybody is committed to preserving Medicare benefits for those who desperately need it and deserve it and qualify for it. What we’re talking about is rooting out the fraud, waste, and abuse,” Johnson said.
ä See BUDGET, page 5A
Legislators eye tax exemption for NIL deals BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
As Louisiana tries to stay competitive in a new college athletics landscape in which players can get paid, it could soon join other states that are considering a new strategy: tax breaks for athletes who get money from NIL deals. “Name, image and likeness” refers to arrangements in which athletes are paid to appear in advertising, merchandise and other media. Such agreements became legal in recent years, opening up an arms race for athletics programs seeking to attract top players with lucrative deals. Rep. Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge, said he is preparing to file a bill for this year’s legislative session that would exempt compensation student athletes earn from NIL deals from state income tax.
ä See TAX, page 4A
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100TH yEAR, NO. 241
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