BATON ROUGE — Governor Jeff Landry has issued an executive order initiating a hiring freeze for the entire executive branch of Louisiana government. 

According to an email, Landry issued the order on Wednesday instituting a hiring freeze for the state government's executive branch. The email also states that the freeze affects all state departments and agencies but excludes local government. 

The order will "shore up" annual $20 million in general state funding to address the "projected fiscal shortfall Governor Landry inherited from the prior administration."

"To ensure the long-term fiscal health of Louisiana and protect essential services for our most vulnerable citizens, we must take decisive action now to address revenue shortfalls. By implementing a temporary hiring freeze, we will reign in spending, saving an annualized $20 million. This is a necessary step to give the Legislature more options, to prevent deeper cuts to healthcare and education, and to safeguard the future of our state," said Landry.