Despite calls from some circles for smaller government, Louisiana added eight new boards, commissions and other state-created oversight entities since the previous fiscal year, Louisiana Illuminator reports.  As of June 30, there were 491 boards based on a count by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s office of listings on the Louisiana Division of Administration’s website. Ten boards were added during fiscal year 2023-24 and two removed, resulting in a net increase of eight.   An auditor’s report released earlier this month identified 18 inactive boards—a dozen of which were also inactive the year before—that the auditor recommends the Legislature dissolve.  Thirteen boards failed to respond to the auditor’s request for information, which is required under law. Lawmakers should take steps to ensure boards comply with these requirements, the audit report suggests. The audit also found 34 boards with an active status that have not reported any meeting notices or minutes from meetings since Dec. 31, 2020, and six failed to identify any board members on the Division of Administration website.  Altogether, the budgets for state boards and commissions totaled $6.7 million last fiscal year. Broken down, the numbers show $2.8 million was paid to cover board member salaries, $2.3 million covered travel expenses and $1.6 million went to per diem pay.  Read the full story.  Take Our Poll