| Good Morning, Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne will layout the governor’s proposed budget Tuesday at the State Capitol. After years of revenue shortfalls, state government is overflowing with tax collections and grants from the federal government to stimulate the economy after the pandemic. Gov. John Bel Edwards says he wants to use some of the recurring money to increase the pay for schoolteachers to something close to, but still not equal to the Southern regional average, which trails the national average by about $9,000. Edwards also proposes using some of the one-time money to pay down about half of what’s needed to build another bridge across the Mississippi River and, hopefully, relieve some of the Interstate 10 traffic that grinds to a halt in Baton Rouge on a hourly basis. For decades a lack of funding made building the $1 billion structure more a fantasy than a dream. The executive budget proposal will serve as the basis for House Bill 1 that first representatives, then senators will rewrite, edit and after much negotiation approve to become the state’s spending plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1. All that will play out when the Legislature meets March 10 for its regular general session. First, lawmakers will convene next Tuesday at 5 p.m. in a special session for reapportionment. Every 10 years since the beginning of the Republic, a census is taken of the country’s population. State assemblies are then called upon to adjust election maps to the latest Census findings and ensure equal numbers of constituents in the Louisiana districts that elect six congressmen, five utility regulators, 105 state representatives, 39 state senators, 11 public school policy administrators, and perhaps, seven state supreme court justices. An increase in Black and minority populations added to a decrease in White people and coupled with a practice of grouping minorities to limit their participation indicate more districts will be drawn in which minorities have a better opportunity to get elected. Adding more minority members to Congress, the House, Senate and Board of Elementary & Secondary Education would loosen, but not release, the grip the Republican Party has on Louisiana politics. Election maps, however, are drawn by and agreed to by legislators, most of whom are Republicans and have as a primary goal to fill their individual districts with people who support them personally. So, expect a rocky few weeks at the State Capitol. As always, check throughout the day for the latest Louisiana political news at theadvocate.com/politics or NOLA.com/politics and on Twitter at @MarkBallardCNB, @tegbridges, @samkarlin, @blakepater, @WillSentell. Here are a dozen articles, commentaries and editorials that will catch you up for the week to come. One last item: Thank you to our subscribers. Your support means a great deal to us. If you're not yet a subscriber, we’ve got a special offer you can check out here. – Mark Ballard | 