BATON ROUGE - There's more money for education and the Department of Corrections in the proposed state budget from the governor's office.

In a couple of months, lawmakers will return to the Capitol to determine how the state spends its money.

Governor Jeff Landry's team has given lawmakers a roughly $46 billion spending plan.

State Rep. C. Denise Marcelle serves on the committee that builds the state's budget.

Louisiana's school choice voucher program, LA GATOR, is in the budget again. The program passed in the 2024 legislative session. It's designed to use public dollars for students to attend private schools.

"The money in there would essentially double the program," Dr. Steven Procopio at the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana said.

LA GATOR receives about $43 million annually, and according to the budget, the governor wants to double it.

Marcelle worries the program is eating up too much money.

"It looks like it's going to double every year," Marcelle said. "The question becomes, how are we going to afford to continue to double that program?"

Another increase is for the Department of Corrections. Louisiana State Penitentiary could receive an additional $17.5 million.

Procopio attributes the increased cost to medical expenses and the state taking in more prisoners.

According to the Population Reference Bureau, a site that collects population data, Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate in the nation. 867 people are in prison per 100,000 residents.

"The question becomes, where do you put your money, on the front end or the back end? And it's apparent this state is putting the money on the prison side," Marcelle said.

State lawmakers will likely debate and change the budget before it passes this summer.