Collection:LPB

Genre: Speech

Place Covered: Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana

Copyright Holder: Louisiana Educational Television Authority

Date Issued: 1988-04-25

Duration: 00:42:24

Subjects: Roemer, Buddy | Louisiana. Legislature | Louisiana Legislative Session, 1988 | Politics | Government | STATE BUDGET | Budget deficits | Lotteries | HIGHER EDUCATION | Prevailing wage | Campaign Finance | Educational change | Environment | COASTAL EROSION | TORT REFORMS | Workers' compensation | AFSCME | Alario, John A. Jr., 1943- | Nelson, Sydney B.

Contributors:

• Lormand, Ken Host
• Roemer, Buddy Speaker
• Sockman, Roger Reporter
• Nelson, Sydney Interviewee
• Alario, John Interviewee
• Webb, Garland Interviewee

Ken Lormand hosts live coverage of Governor Buddy Roemer’s address to the 1988 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature on April 25, 1988. In his speech, Governor Roemer updates the legislators on his efforts to fix Louisiana’s financial crisis through the elimination of the short-term cash flow problem, presenting a balanced budget, refinancing the state’s 1.3 billion debt, and tax reform and expresses his opposition to the creation of a statewide lottery to generate more revenue. Governor Roemer also outlines his legislative package, including a constitutional amendment to create a single governing board for higher education, the repeal of the prevailing wage law for state construction projects, campaign finance reform, education reform, providing more funding for the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), dealing with coastal erosion, tort reform for small businesses, insurance reform, and worker’s compensation reform. Following the speech, reporter Roger Sockman interviews State Senator Sydney Nelson, State Representative John Alario, and Garland Webb, the president of Council 17 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), on their reactions to Governor Roemer’s speech.