Jindal signs budget bill, vetoes money for the disabled and the arts

Funding for the disabled and arts programs fell out of the $25 billion state spending plan Friday with the stroke of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s veto pen.
The governor deleted $4 million aimed at whittling down a waiting list for home-based services for the developmentally disabled. Parents of disabled children pleaded with legislators during the session to shorten the list. Some could wait 10 years before receiving services.
In his veto message, Jindal said the reduction in waiting time could not be accommodated because legislators removed too much funding for the routine increase in the number of patients being treated through Medicaid, the government program that pays for health care for the poor.
The Jindal administration contended the Legislature underfunded the state’s health department by more than $20 million.

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