Louisiana lieutenant governor touts tourism gains, details parks recovery and statewide litter push

Abigail Chasen of the House Fiscal Division presented the executive budget recommendation for the Office of the Lieutenant Governor and the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, saying the lieutenant governor's office is recommended at about $10.6 million for fiscal 2026 and the department at about $135.2 million.

The presentation matters because the agencies oversee tourism promotion, the state park system and Volunteer Louisiana programs that deliver services and drive visitor spending statewide.

Lieutenant Governor (first reference as "Lieutenant Governor") summarized tourism and parks results and initiatives, saying "we are the fifth biggest industry in Louisiana" and that tourism returns roughly 45-to-1 on the state's investment. He credited marketing and new international efforts for recent gains and told lawmakers the office canceled a contract with Macy's parade after finding it did not deliver promised airtime.

On state parks, the lieutenant governor said parks had been at risk of closure but now approach two million annual visitors after private-public partnerships and in-house maintenance work; he said staff saved the state "over $20,000,000 from hurricane recovery" by using in-house repair teams. The Office of State Parks is budgeted to receive almost 40% of the department's recommended budget; the department overall has 591 authorized positions and 60 vacancies as of Dec. 30, according to the House Fiscal presentation.

Officials described staffing and pay issues for park maintenance workers. Brandon Burris, representing State Parks, said starting wages for park building-and-grounds attendants have made recruitment difficult in rural areas and the department is pursuing a new civil-service job series to improve starting pay and career progression.

The lieutenant governor and other officials also highlighted Volunteer Louisiana, which receives federal funds administered through the office. Judge Johnson, executive director of Volunteer Louisiana, said the agency passes federal grants to local volunteer organizations, and Katherine Newsom'style programs such as AmeriCorps were described as important partners.

Litter abatement and Keep Louisiana Beautiful: the lieutenant governor said the office took over the Keep Louisiana Beautiful program and that participation has risen from about 50 groups two years ago to roughly 860 groups so far this year, with a goal of 1,000. Susan Russell, executive director of Keep Louisiana Beautiful, described a new litter-surveillance camera grant and training workshops for local law-enforcement and municipal staff to enforce anti-dumping laws. The lieutenant governor and members discussed options to fund local drop-off or bulk-disposal events and to pay locals to perform highway grass-cutting and litter removal.

Tourism marketing and fees: Doug Bourgeois, with the Office of Tourism, said the office budgets roughly $8–$9 million for advertising and is developing targeted products such as road-trip itineraries and demand-based pricing for popular park cabins. The department reported a decline in some self-generated revenues tied to the State Parks Improvement and Repair dedicated fund and requested additional general fund to replace forecasted shortfalls.

Museums and cultural development: officials said the department is investing in museum marketing and repairs, running programs such as a women-in-Mardi-Gras exhibit and the America 250 project, and seeking $500,000 for cultural development and Main Street grants. Carrie Broussard said the Main Street program received $450,000 last year, and the department requested $225,000 in recurring funding for FY26 while requesting $500,000 from the Office of Planning and Budget.

Lawmakers pressed for specifics on vacancies, fee accounts and capital requests; staff answered that several FY25 appropriations were one-time carryforwards that reduce FY26 other-charges totals. Representative Marcel and others asked about three frozen positions removed from the parks personnel table; Nancy Watkins, undersecretary for the department, said positions vacant more than a year are removed automatically by budget rules.

Looking ahead: the department and lieutenant governor framed the FY26 request as an effort to stabilize park operations, expand volunteer and litter-abatement work, and continue tourism promotion that officials say spurs broad economic activity. Several representatives urged more funding for Main Street and local litter grants and asked for continued attention to park staffing and wage parity.