§ 39:54 — Limitations on appropriations

§54. Limitations on appropriations
A.(1) Appropriations by the legislature from the state general fund and dedicated
funds for any fiscal year shall not exceed the official forecast in effect at the time the
appropriations are made. Except as otherwise provided by R.S. 39:75(E), appropriations by
the legislature from any fund shall not exceed the official forecast of money available for
appropriation from that fund in effect at the time the appropriations are made.
(2) Financing from any existing statutorily dedicated fund for appropriations other
than the fund's intended statutory purpose shall be limited to the prior fiscal year's fund
balance and shall not include anticipated fund balances for the ensuing fiscal year unless
otherwise provided by law.
B. Appropriation of any money designated in the official forecast as nonrecurring
shall be made only in accordance with the following:
(1) At a minimum, twenty-five percent of nonrecurring revenue shall be appropriated
for deposit in the Budget Stabilization Fund.
(2)(a) Providing for payments against the unfunded accrued liability of the public
retirement systems which are in addition to any payments required for the annual
amortization of the unfunded accrued liability of the public retirement systems, required by
Article X, Section 29(E)(2)(c) of the Constitution of Louisiana; however, any such payment
to the public retirement systems shall not be used, directly or indirectly, to fund cost-of-living
increases for such systems.
(b) At a minimum, for Fiscal Years 2013-2014 and 2014-2015, the legislature shall
appropriate no less than five percent of any money designated in the official forecast as
nonrecurring to the Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System and the Teachers'
Retirement System of Louisiana for application to the balance of the unfunded accrued
liability of such systems existing as of June 30, 1988, in proportion to the balance of such
unfunded accrued liability of each such system. Any such payments to the public retirement
systems shall not be used, directly or indirectly, to fund cost-of-living increases for such
systems.
(c) At a minimum, for Fiscal Year 2015-2016 and every fiscal year thereafter, the
legislature shall appropriate no less than ten percent of any money designated in the official
forecast as nonrecurring to the Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System and the
Teachers' Retirement System of Louisiana for application to the balance of the unfunded
accrued liability of such systems existing as of June 30, 1988, in proportion to the balance
of such unfunded accrued liability of each such system. Any such payments to the public
retirement systems shall not be used, directly or indirectly, to fund cost-of-living increases
for such systems.
(3) After satisfying the requirements of Paragraphs (1) and (2) of this Subsection, the
remainder may be appropriated only for the following purposes:
(a) Retiring or defeasance of bonds in advance and in addition to the existing
amortization requirements of the state.
(b) Providing funding for capital outlay projects in the comprehensive state budget.
(c) Providing for allocation or appropriation for deposit into the Coastal Protection
and Restoration Fund established in Article VII, Section 10.2 of the Constitution of
Louisiana.
(d) Providing for new highway construction for which federal matching funds are
available, without excluding highway projects otherwise eligible as capital projects under
other provisions of law.
C. Appropriations by the legislature from the state general fund and dedicated funds
for any fiscal year shall not exceed the expenditure limit.
D. Appropriations by the legislature of monies out of the Transportation Trust Fund
to the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, office of state police, shall not exceed
the following:
(1) For Fiscal Year 2015-2016, forty-five million dollars.
(2) For Fiscal Year 2016-2017, twenty million dollars.
(3) For Fiscal Year 2017-2018 and each fiscal year thereafter, ten million dollars.*
*Act 720 of the 2018 Regular Session (Const. Amend.) removed the authority to appropriate
funds from the Transportation Trust Fund for state police traffic control purposes.

Legislative History

Acts 1989, No. 836, §1, eff. July 1, 1989; Acts 1993, No. 809, §1, eff. June 22, 1993; Acts 1997, No. 1149, §1, eff. June 1, 1997, and §4, eff. Nov. 5, 1998; Acts 2003, No. 1195, §1, eff. July 1, 2004; Acts 2011, No. 357, §1, eff. Nov. 21, 2011; Acts 2013, No. 419, §1, eff. July 1, 2013; Acts 2015, No. 380, §1.