Louisiana House votes to curb state spending on public art

BATON ROUGE- The Louisiana House wants to scale back a 17-year-old program that requires state agencies to spend a portion of their construction dollars on public art.



Lawmakers in the House voted 86-4 on Monday to put new restrictions on the program, with supporters saying the state has to curb spending amid continued budget gaps.



Under the Percent for Art Program created in 1999, state agencies are required to spend 1 percent of their state financing for construction or renovation projects on public art. The proposal by Republican Rep. Bob Hensgens of Abbeville would cap that spending at $450,000.



The measure, which goes to the Senate for debate, wouldn't help bail out the state operating budget. The dollars at issue come from the state construction budget.