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BATON ROUGE — With an estimated $2 billion provided to Louisiana from a federal coronavirus aid bill passed in December and the likelihood of another federal stimulus package, state legislators are hopeful they can balance the budget for fiscal 2022 with no more than modest cuts.
The greater concern is the danger of a financial crisis in the following years. Louisiana budget experts project a slow recovery from the pandemic. Federal aid is expected to dry up after this year and many Louisianans have been hesitant to receive the vaccines that could help open up the economy.
Like most states, Louisiana was hit hard by the virus, and the problems were compounded by a catastrophic hurricane season. The state needed nearly $900 million in federal aid approved last March to patch up its finances for fiscal 2020 and the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. 
Federal stimulus checks have encouraged Louisianans to spend more, and that has increased the state sales tax revenue beyond original projections. This, along with additional support for higher education and health care in the federal bill passed in December, should make the task of balancing the next budget more manageable.
Jay Dardenne, the commissioner of administration for Gov. John Bel Edwards, plans to kick off the negotiations on February 26 by presenting a budget proposal to the Legislature that includes spending cuts based on current revenue projections.
But the potential for more federal aid is on the horizon. President Joe Biden’s push for a $1.9 trillion stimulus package, which would be the third federal aid bill since the pandemic started, could ease the state’s losses and put Louisiana in a stronger position for fiscal 2022, which starts July 1. 
“It’s anticipated that we get a federal stimulus. If that’s the case, then we’ll be in better shape,” said Rep. Rep. Jerome Zeringue, R-Houma, the chairman of House Appropriations Committee. “Because the economy is in such bad shape right now, we’re hoping we’ll have a similar situation to what we had last fiscal year, and we won’t know that until the federal stimulus package comes in. We’re anticipating it, but there’s no guarantee until it comes. That’s kind of what we need and are depending upon to continue to get us through this crisis.”
 Louisiana’s Revenue Estimating Committee, composed of state leaders and economists, recently projected the state will have $228 million less than originally forecasted in the upcoming fiscal year. However, the state economists did not account for additional federal aid since it is still not certain. 
Legislative Chief Economist Greg Albrecht echoed Zeringue’s overall feeling for the upcoming fiscal year. Given that Louisiana has performed better than he anticipated due to federal aid, Albrecht said he might be able to add more funding back into his forecast. 
“We know there is more federal support out there,” he said. Referring to the upcoming budget negotiations, he added, “That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easy or something won’t have to be cut or restrained in terms of spending, but we’re not panicking at this point.” 
 However, Albrecht also predicts a slow recovery. When the estimating conference met in January, he warned that employment and state revenue will likely not return to pre-pandemic levels until late 2023 to 2024. He said that he and his colleagues aim to “be cautious and careful” in a time of considerable uncertainty. 
Zeringue said that “if the recovery is going to take that long, we better hope the economy is back up and running again because if not, then we’re going to have to make significant cuts.”
Jan Moller, executive director of the Louisiana Budget Project, said it is difficult to determine how quickly the state can open up again and when the budget will rebound. It is still uncertain when people will be more comfortable dining in restaurants, when tourists will return to New Orleans and when Louisianans will go back to commuting to work. 
 “Until people feel safe to travel and to gather in groups and to go to a festival, and just to go back to an office environment, we’re not going to have a normal economy, or we are going to need the federal government to step up,” Moller said.
 If the Legislature cannot find a solution to the ensuing budget problems starting in fiscal 2023, Louisiana residents will continue to face major challenges. Moller says that while some individuals have been able to adapt to the new normal, people who cannot work from home or face employment insecurity have been hit much harder. For Louisianans in the hospitality and restaurant industry, he says, the vaccine is essential. 
Dardenne said in an interview that he is optimistic the vaccine distribution will reinstate a sense of normalcy as people will become more comfortable traveling and making purchases. 
“The more we administer vaccines, the quicker the potential to return to whatever the new normal is going to be.” he said. “It will help kick start our economy.”
“I do believe we will see positive news on the economic front in the upcoming fiscal year that will span the second half of ‘21 and the first half of ’22,” he added.
 As of Thursday, Louisiana has administered more than 800,000 coronavirus vaccines doses. And while the vaccine distribution is a key step to economic recovery, it may not mark the end of the financial downturn.
 The state began administering vaccines in December, but there are still many residents who are hesitant. Louisianans are, on average, 56.9% likely to accept a vaccine, according to a January study conducted by Carnegie Mellon University.
 Still, many state leaders have hope. Although budget cuts are a looming threat, there are opportunities to mitigate a financial crisis.
 For Zeringue and Sen. Bret Allain, R-Franklin, these opportunities come in the form of opening up the economy and investing their efforts in corporate and personal income tax reform. Reforming what Allain calls an old, broken system has the potential to attract businesses to invest in Louisiana and increase state revenue in the long term. 
 Jim Patterson, vice president of Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, said he and his colleagues are in contact with the Louisiana congressional delegation, asking for any and all assistance for small businesses throughout the state.
“We’re moving for businesses to be able to get back into business,” Patterson said. “That’s what’s going to help job creators bring their employees back to work. That’s what’s going to allow for the state’s revenue base to be restored and maintained.”
 Amid widespread uncertainty, the largest question remains that if the state cannot fully recover by fiscal year 2023, how severe will budget cuts be, and where will they manifest?
 Zeringue cautions that after the coming fiscal year, Louisiana can no longer rely on federal aid. Rather, the Legislature must work within its own capacity, either lifting restrictions to open the economy or implementing budget cuts, to address a projected deficit. 
 “We just need to be prepared,” said Zeringue. “Plan for the worst and hope for the best. And we will see what we can to minimize potential impacts and work towards shoring up those most critical resources and needs.”

Mary Ann Griffin, 52, a native of Berwick and resident of Morgan City, died Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, at her residence.
Visitation will be from 9 a.m. until services at 11 a.m. at Jones Funeral Home in Morgan City. Masks and social distancing required. Services accessible on funeral home Facebook page. Burial will follow in Berwick Cemetery.
She is survived by a sister, Mona Walker of Lafayette; and a host of other relatives.
She was preceded in death by her parents, a brother, two sisters, and maternal and paternal grandparents.
Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

A Louisiana legislative subcommittee has endorsed a proposal to make it easier to win lawsuits against law enforcement officers who injure or kill civilians.
The unanimous decision by members of the House Civil Law and Procedure Committee may be a signal for legislation to scale back “qualified immunity” for law enforcement, after the full commit-tee narrowly turned back a similar effort last year that associations representing sheriffs, state troopers, chiefs of police and district attorneys opposed.
The concept of qualified immunity does not apply to criminal charges, but it can shield officers and agencies from financial liability for misconduct. Winning a civil lawsuit when a police officer violates a victim’s constitutional rights requires being able to point to a precedent involving the exact same situation, an unreasonable burden when every case is different, critics of the concept say.
Representatives of law enforcement have argued eliminating the protection would make it harder to recruit officers. They also expressed concerns about expensive lawsuits and high insurance rates.
Agencies would be less likely to employ bad actors if they were afraid of losing a lawsuit if their offic-ers use excessive force, said Raymond Diamond, an LSU law professor who participated in a legis-lative task force that looked at numerous aspects of law enforcement conduct.
“The jurisdictions would have more of an incentive to police their own police,” Diamond said. “Police officers would find themselves under pressure from their own departments. Sheriff’s deputies would find themselves under pressure from the sheriffs to behave in a manner that doesn’t cost the jurisdiction money.”
Courts would use the same standards to judge whether an officer’s behavior was reasonable under the circumstances, but they would not have to cite a specific precedent to award damages, speakers said.
Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director Michael Ranatza and association attorney Shan-non Dirmann spoke in favor of the proposal. The association opposed legislation to strike down the state’s qualified immunity statutes last year, but Ranatza and Dirmann said they were comfortable with the new proposal’s language.
Donovan Livaccari, an attorney representing the Louisiana Fraternal Order of Police, was more wary. He said qualified immunity works well, though he understood why some people are opposed to it.
Livaccari said good candidates for law enforcement might seek work in other states with stronger protections, making recruitment in Louisiana more difficult than it is already.
He said officers have enough to worry about without the threat of expensive lawsuits, but lawmakers said their employers and their insurers would be more likely to have to pay.
State lawmakers only can change state laws, so qualified immunity still would be used in federal courts. However, some members of Congress would like to repeal qualified immunity nationwide.

Eggs are a topic of conversation each spring, largely because of their relationship to the Christian celebration of Easter. Brightly colored Easter eggs are on display, chocolate eggs line store shelves and egg-lined birds nests in trees and bushes dot spring landscapes.
Eggs take center stage in early spring, but they’re more than just novelties to include in Easter celebrations.
—Eggs are nutritious. Eggs are loaded with vitamins A, D and B12 and the nutrient choline. They’re also an excellent protein source in a small package. At 72 calories and packing six grams of protein, eggs can make for a great, filling meal at any time of day.
—Eggs boost brain health. The choline in eggs is a crucial nutrient for memory, mood and muscle control, according to the University of Missouri Health Care system. Choline also is essential in fetal brain development and can help prevent birth defects.
—Eggs don’t always have to be refrigerated. In countries outside of the United States and Canada, eggs may not be refrigerated and do not have to be chilled. Also, outside of North America eggs are not washed prior to commercial production. However, according to the food resource TheKichn, power-washing eggs removes a protective coating and makes the eggs porous and vulnerable to contamination. A synthetic coating is put on washed eggs.
—Shell color does not matter. The color of the eggshell doesn’t indicate taste, nutritional value or even egg quality. The color of the eggshell reflects the breed of hen that laid the egg.
Red-feathered hens tend to lay brown eggs, while hens with white features lay white eggs. Similarly, the shade of yolk is representative of what the chicken is eating. A dark, yellow yolk means the hen was probably fed green vegetables. Lighter yolks coordinate to corn and grain diets.
—All eggs are “hormone-free.” The term “hormone-free” on egg cartons does not signify anything special. It’s like advertising that snow is cold. The U.S. Food & Drug Admin-istration banned the use of hormones in all poultry production in the 1950s. All eggs are hormone-free.
—Size and eggshell thickness indicates the age of the hen. Eggs come in different sizes, such as medium, large and jumbo. The age of the chicken determines the size, with older hens producing larger eggs. Age also affects shell thickness, with younger hens laying thicker-shelled eggs, says Eat This, Not That!
—Eggs won’t hatch. Eggs sold for consumption are not fertilized. Hens that have laid them haven’t mated.
—Many birds lay eggs. Kiwis lay the largest egg in relation to their body size of any species of bird in the world. However, the ostrich, emu and cassowary lay the biggest eggs.
—The sink or swim test can say a lot about an egg. Eggs become more porous as they age. You can tell if an egg is old by putting it in a glass of water. If it sinks, it is fresh. If it floats, it is an older egg.
Eggs get a lot of fanfare around Easter, and there’s more than meets the eye to that carton of eggs in the refrigerator.
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EGG SALAD
8 large eggs
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup dill minced
2 Tbsp. chives minced
2 Tbsp. dijon mustard
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
Add eggs to a saucepan and fill with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let the eggs stand for 10-12 minutes.
Take the eggs out of the water and let cool.
Peel and chop eggs and add them to a medium sized bowl. Add mayonnaise, dill, chives, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Spread on bread, use with your favorite crackers or in a green salad.
Recipe from therecipecritic.com.
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BREAKFAST SCRAMBLE STUFFED AVOCADO
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 oz. diced Canadian bacon
6 eggs, well beaten
2 oz. shredded white cheddar
salt and pepper to taste
2 avocados, halved, pitted and peeled
thinly sliced chives
Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.
Add Canadian bacon and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
Pour beaten eggs into the skillet and stir the mixture, using a spatula or wooden spoon. Continue to stir until small curds form and the scramble just sets.
Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper and stir in cheese.
Top each avocado half with the scramble mixture and finish with a generous sprinkle of chives.
Serve.
From www.spoonforkbacon.com.