BATON ROUGE — Governor Jeff Landry has issued an executive order implementing a hiring freeze for the executive branch of state government following the failure of Amendment 2.
Amendment 2 was one of four amendments decisively rejected by voters on Saturday. According to Landry’s office, the amendment would have helped address the state’s fiscal shortfall.
Landry said that the hiring freeze will save the state $20 million. The executive order applies to all state departments and agencies.
“To ensure the long-term fiscal health of Louisiana and protect essential services for our most vulnerable citizens, we must take decisive action now to address revenue shortfalls. By implementing a temporary hiring freeze, we will reign in spending, saving an annualized $20 million. This is a necessary step to give the Legislature more options, to prevent deeper cuts to healthcare and education, and to safeguard the future of our state,” Landry said in a news release Wednesday.
MORE: Voters reject all four statewide amendments | Here’s what it means
Amendment 2 was passed by the Louisiana Legislature during a special session last fall. After voters rejected it, Landry expressed his disappointment, blaming ‘far left liberals’.
“The primary goal of Amendment 2 was to create a better opportunity for our citizens. To work towards inviting people into our State rather than have them leave,” Landry said.
“We do not see this as a failure. We realize how hard positive change can be to implement in a State that is conditioned for failure.”
Last month, LSU implemented a hiring freeze, eliminated duplicative jobs, and centralized some positions. The university also announced that all department budgets will be reduced by 2% starting July 1. The move was in response to uncertainty over federal funding.
“Uncertainty in federal funding and future support should not hinder our growth or momentum. Instead, we must transform challenges into opportunities,” LSU President William Tate wrote in a campus wide email.
This is a developing story. As soon as more details are provided, the story will be updated. Check back for new information.
Download the Unfiltered with Kiran app from the Apple App Store and Google Play to stay updated on the latest news across the Capital area.
