Louisiana sheriffs, corrections officials and others will have to wait for supplemental funding they had hoped to receive after House Speaker Taylor Barras blocked the Revenue Estimating Conference from raising the state's revenue forecast.
It's the second time in two weeks the REC adjourned without recognizing an increase in revenue despite the governor's and Legislature's economists forecasting at least $128 million more for this year and next.
The four members of the Revenue Estimating Conference must reach unanimous agreement to adjust the forecast up or down.
Chairman Jay Dardenne, who is Gov. John Bel Edwards' Commissioner of Administration, Republican Senate President John Alario of Westwego and LSU Economic Jim Richardson all voted to approve the forecast.
Barras denied his objection is politically motivated, saying his only goal "is to put taxpayers' first" by waiting until more data is available to revise the forecasts.
"If we wait later in the fiscal year not much gets affected," Barras said. "Nothing is being stopped by this."
But Dardenne insisted delaying a revision would place in peril funding for sheriffs' to house state prisoners, pay raises for prison guards and keep the new juvenile prison in Bunkie from opening.
Lawmakers had designated $43 million for those priorities and others should the state revenue forecast improve.
Dardenne said the REC's failure to act now in time for the Joint Legislative Budget Committee to have a chance to appropriate those priorities in its December meeting is "very unfortunate."
"We have almost a half-year's evidence (in revenue collections) so it makes great sense for the conference to act," Dardenne said.
Barras also made it clear state Rep. Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, his stand-in at the Nov. 27 REC meeting, followed the speaker's wishes when he blocked approval of a forecast then.
The speaker, who said he had concerns about declining oil prices, said forecasts will be more accurate later in the year. Economists believed that had addressed the oil price concerns by adjusting their forecast downward from the previous meeting.
Barras said if the improved forecasts hold the Legislature can appropriate the $43 million in a supplemental bill when it's in session next spring.
"We would seem to be taking a big leap of faith now," he said. "It's a risk I'm not willing to take."
Henry weighed in on Twitter, saying after being attacked by press and the governor, he and the speaker were proved right.
"The speaker and I said two weeks ago that we cannot commit to spending money we don't know we have," he said in the post.
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1