During the past special session, you helped to stabilize our budget problems by renewing the three cents. You also helped pass Louisiana, Inc., which will help us attract high paying jobs and compete in the 21st century economy.
Economic growth is the prescription to our budget problems.
If our state's economy had grown by a mere percent and a half more last year, we would not have a fiscal problem this year. I thank you for the first step in bringing budgetary stability and for embracing this new approach for economic development. Today, we can begin the hard work of bringing meaningful change to the fiscal condition of our state, because you did your work in the special session. You passed important local bills, brought primary budget stabilization, and started us on a new road in economic development. Not only that, don't forget the special session and this fiscal session will cost our taxpayers a million dollars less than a full-blown regular session.