Editor’s Note: with what’s happening as the current Louisiana legislative session nears its end and the House and Senate seem quite far apart on the state budget and how to use the current surplus, we thought we’d check in with one of the Legislature’s most knowledgeable budget hawks, Rep. Brett Geymann (R-Lake Charles). Geymann has been fighting for fiscal sanity for a long time, and he’s one of the leaders in attempting to preserve the state’s budgetary spending caps – something the Senate seems determined not to do.

THE HAYRIDE: So the Senate sent back a bill, on a 39-0 vote with 34 co-sponsors, which blows away the statutory spending caps and spends $2.2 billion on public-sector things. That’s a very different budget than the House passed earlier in this session. Where do things stand, and does the usual tradition of the Senate getting its way on the budget hold this year?

GEYMANN: The House sent a budget to the Senate that was creative, courageous, and very fiscally responsible.  It was something better than I’ve ever seen here before.  I am very proud of the work the House did under the leadership of Chairman Zeringue.  I don’t believe the House will allow the Senate to totally dismantle what we did.

THE HAYRIDE: It seems like the primary impetus in this session is to give a substantial pay raise to the state’s teachers, but I’ve seen polling which says that’s only the priority of about 30 percent of the public. What accounts for this impulse on the part of state legislators to fund pay raises for a bunch of local government employees?’

GEYMANN: The governor always has the advantage of pushing an agenda by inserting funding in the executive budget.  Once that is done, the perception is the legislature is cutting something that was already promised.  With that said, we support our educators.  We believe in them and know they are working in a tough environment. The pay increase was funded in the House budget version by freeing up retirement debt for locals and allowing the districts to provide the raises.  That was a fantastic idea that hit a wall in the Senate.  It appears the legislature is now willing to fund the raises out of the general fund, but the issue becomes the expenditure limit and the growth in government.

THE HAYRIDE: Doesn’t breaking the spending caps now make for a larger “fiscal cliff” (if we even buy that notion) later? Does anybody care about that looming problem?

GEYMANN: It absolutely does.  That’s the main driving issue for those of us in opposition to raising the expenditure limit.  As we look at the forecast over the next 5 years, we see significant shortfalls that somewhat mirror the Jindal years.  The House version of the budget dealt with those issues by paying debt and freeing up recurring money for those years ahead and not busting the cap.

THE HAYRIDE: How does the House win this battle? Does it even try?

GEYMANN: To raise the expenditure limit takes 2/3rds vote. If the House can hold 36 votes against, much of our budget preferences happen by default.  Paying debt, not growing government, freeing up money for the shortfall years all happen if we don’t bust the cap.  So to be clear, 36 votes is how we win.

THE HAYRIDE: There isn’t a whole lot of scrutiny on this process. For example, after the Senate vote on Monday the only real news story we saw about it was at the Louisiana Illuminator – and that story contained a claim that even the House budget busted the spending caps to the tune of $200 million – something I haven’t seen anywhere else. Is the problem the fact that the public just doesn’t know what’s going on?

GEYMANN: It’s definitely an issue when the public is not paying attention. The pressure comes from those with self-interest and we need to hear from our constituents.

THE HAYRIDE: Are your constituents even engaged on this issue? The budget is a pretty dry topic and it seems like expectations are perhaps dangerously low.

GEYMANN: It’s probably not a hot topic among many constituents. However, most can relate to busting the cap or growing government and that is what the core of this debate is about.  We are hearing from some business groups who are encouraging us to hold the line.  They understand the consequences of us losing and potential tax increases and shortfalls on the horizon.

THE HAYRIDE: Is there a long-term prognosis for Louisiana’s fiscal house here? Or are we just building a bigger and bigger bonfire to burn ourselves in?

GEYMANN: This is definitely a fight for our future and that is what makes it so politically difficult.  Elected officials are often focused on short term wins and not as concerned about the long game.  Constituents often reward those who bring home projects and are not as encouraging to those who want to pay down debt for example.  I would just argue if we talk about a better Louisiana, this a wonderful opportunity for us to have a positive generational change.