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What are One-Time Funds?

Representative Brett Geymann's Office

On Tuesday, two republican lawmakers filed suit against the state for using one-time revenues to balance the budget. Where does the money come from?
In part “one-time funds” come from program fees. Representative Brett Geymann sits on the House Appropriations Committee.

 “For instance you pay a dollar from your driver’s license that goes into a litter abatement fund," Geymann says. "In some cases those funds have a balance. At the end of the year, they haven’t spent all the money.”

Geymann says the legislature used that left over money to patch the holes in the budget left by allocating more money to healthcare and higher education than they had. But to do so, they had to pass House Bill 822. That swept the program funds into the State General Fund.

Two of Geymann’s colleagues think the practice is unconstitutional. Geymann thinks it’s bad policy. He’s been drafting legislation that aims to stop it from happening again.

 

Kelly grew up in Baton Rouge. She started out in radio at Baton Rouge High where she was first on air at WBRH and KBRH. While studying film and politics at Hendrix College, she reported and hosted for KUAR in Little Rock, AR. She then moved on to KUT in Austin, TX. She misses the dry air, live music at Studio 1A and breakfast tacos, but is happy for crawfish and non-ironic use of Mardi Gras beads.