Several state lawmakers are criticizing Gov. Bobby Jindal’s plan to accelerate work on a dozen highway projects by reshuffling $120 million.
Jindal announced the road work plans this week, saying the state transportation department is using dollars left over from the 2007-08 and 2008-09 budget years and other available funds that had been banked in the treasury to start the construction work.
Of the plan, $40 million requires the endorsement of the Legislature.
Sen. Robert Adley, a Republican from Benton, says Jindal shouldn’t have announced projects that haven’t been approved by lawmakers yet.
Rep. Sam Jones, a Democrat from Franklin, called the governor’s plan a ‘‘little bit of voodoo’’ and says it is similar to questionable accounting steps taken by state leaders during the cash-strapped 1980s.
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Information from: The Advocate, http://www.2theadvocate.com
Baton Rouge, LA (AP) —
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