Don’t expect, in the dying days of Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards’ misrule over Louisiana, that we won’t see more attempts to lock in bigger and more redistributive government than just attempting to create generous paid parental leave that incoming governor Republican Atty. Gen. Jeff Landry needs to curtail.
Starting in 2024, almost 38,000 classified state employees will gain this perquisite at taxpayer expense. It allows up to six weeks of this following the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child. That comes through regular channels: the State Civil Service Commission, which quietly promulgated the rule in September, then somewhat more publicly signed off and expanded by Edwards earlier this month.
Another roughly 4,000 unclassified employees which includes the other two branches of government, those of other statewide elected officials, and non-civil service employees in higher education, Edwards included through executive order, leaving just under 27,000 uncovered in the executive branch. All in that branch could be covered at the discretion of elected officials and higher education management boards, and the several hundred in the other branches could be covered by assent of the two chamber leaders of the Legislature or of the Louisiana Supreme Court.
Landry, having won succession to Edwards the previous month, has voiced ambivalence over the rectitude of this policy, and rightfully so. Federal law grants 12 weeks of unpaid leave for this kind of event, and statistics show where paid leave (including other reasons than just new children in the household) is offered – just over half of all statutorily-required worksites offer any kind of pay for leave and only 15 percent offer full pay – the same proportion of workers, 15 percent, utilize it as where nonpaid leave is offered. Thus, its addition would have little impact for recruitment and retention since employees take leave in similar proportions whether paid.
It's also an unnecessary added cost to taxpayers. Assuming that 15 percent rate among classified workers who make the average fiscal year 2023 salary of $53,684 and take the full six weeks, this will cost the state over $36 million annually, assuming replacement temporary or full-time workers must be hired to take up the slack. If not, that much worth of productivity is lost to Louisianans. And, only 11 states offer it (and New York optionally) to its public employees.
Naturally, the Edwards Administration tried to avoid admitting the idea’s many shortcomings. In a recent public appearance, Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne dodged the question of cost by claiming Louisiana could “afford it” and that there wouldn’t be in his judgment “a huge negative impact on the state.”
It’s a move to try to garner through disingenuity favorable publicity to lock in the gimme through the executive order. Landry needs to rescind that upon taking office and immediately, for the longer it exists the more pressure builds to maintain it. But that still leaves higher education, constitutional officers, and the classified system saddled with it.
Landry can apply pressure by telling system board members he would frown upon their reappointment if they permitted this. That would have less effectiveness on the SCSC to get it to reverse, because the governor chooses six of them from nominations made by private university presidents, and Landry will only be able to replace three in his first term, with a seventh voted in by classified civil servants. And he can’t control other constitutional officers at all.
So, with a like-minded Legislature which will have public support to fight this especially as many in the public will see this as a giveaway benefit to government employees that they have to pay for and don’t have themselves, the best tactic to reverse this may be to hit state government in the wallet. The Legislature could reduce agency budgets by a proportional amount given away in paid leave the previous year as long as the SCSC rule remains in effect, or if any other agency adopts it. As well, it could cut the SCSC budget as additional inducement to get it to rescind the rule. Or, perhaps most simply, it could pass a law prohibiting any state agency from paying taken leave for this purpose.
With a state government that has exploded in dollar size some 80 percent over the past seven years while Louisiana’s private sector has scuffled near the bottom among the states in economic development and growth, it’s unwise to bloat government more and foist that cost onto taxpayers. The incoming governor and Legislature should act to prevent that.
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