Lieutenant Governor, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism outline FY26 budget priorities; parks, litter and Volunteer Louisiana highlighted

The Office of the Lieutenant Governor and the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism told the House Appropriations Committee their FY26 budgets emphasize tourism promotion, state parks repairs and litter‑abatement programs while continuing reliance on federal grants for Volunteer Louisiana.

Abigail Chasen of the House Fiscal Division opened the session with an overview of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor’s FY26 recommendation, saying the office’s requested budget is about $10.6 million, with roughly $8.1 million (about 77 percent) expected in federal funds and about $2.2 million for administration. She said roughly 80 percent of the office’s funding is devoted to grant programs.

Why it matters: The presentations tie state budget choices to visitor economy priorities — marketing, border‑to‑border park upkeep, and volunteer and litter‑abatement work that officials said drives tourism and local business revenue. Commitments to repair and public‑private partnerships aim to reduce future state subsidy needs while shifting some recurring costs to local partners or private investors.

Key budget and program details

- Departmentwide totals: The Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism’s FY26 recommendation was presented as roughly $135.2 million. Chasen reported about 43 percent of that total is budgeted from the state general fund and about 41 percent from self‑generated revenues.

- Funding sources called out: $55.8 million in self‑generated revenues (driven by tourism district receipts and park fees), $13.5 million in the State Parks Improvement and Repair Dedicated Fund account, $6.7 million in interagency transfers, and smaller federal grants (National Park Service, Library Grants to States, National Endowment for the Arts, U.S. Department of…