By JIM BUTLER

Using Everett Dirkson’s measure, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office is talking real money.

The Illinois senator, observed about federal spending decades ago, “A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money.”

The state’s auditors in their required report this month to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget cite $3.3 billion in at least questionable state agency spending or accounting of it.

The current General Fund budget is $12 billion. The overall budget is $44.2 billion.

State law requires the audit team to sift annually through the extended maze of Louisiana public spending and report on fiscal deficiencies, inefficiencies, fraud or other significant issues in governmental audits.

The report is delivered to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget.

What happens next is up to the committee chaired by Sen. Glen Womack, whose district includes part of Rapides.

Other Rapides legislators on the panel include Sen. Heather Cloud and Reps. Rhonda Butler, Jason Dewitt and Mike Johnson.

Agencies and sums involved in the report:

Department of Children & Family Services- $27 million; Department of Education – $2.3 billion, $966,000, $180,000; Department of Hospitals – $720 million;

Department of Military Affairs – $13 million;

Executive:

Office of Community Development – $9.5 million; Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness Public Assistance Program – $228 million; Road Home – $10.8 million.

Auditors note some issues have been encountered in previous audits. These reports are from those done in the last quarter of the fiscal year that ended June 30.