BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The Latest on Louisiana’s special legislative session on taxes (all times local):
4:20 p.m.
Louisiana lawmakers have started yet another special session about state finances, the sixth such gathering in three years.
The House and Senate opened the 14-day session Tuesday afternoon.
Gov. John Bel Edwards called the session, hoping to persuade lawmakers to replace some temporary taxes expiring July 1.
The Democratic governor wants to keep $648 million of about $1.4 billion in expiring taxes. He says without that money, deep cuts could fall across critical government services, hitting health, education and public safety programs.
Edwards is recommending renewal of half the expiring 1 percent state sales tax, along with reductions to sales tax breaks to raise most of the money. But House lawmakers haven’t yet reached any agreements.
A February special session on taxes failed to raise any money for the budget.
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1:40 p.m.
Louisiana’s governor says he expects the latest special session on taxes to turn out differently than the February special session that failed to raise any money for the budget.
Gov. John Bel Edwards told a crowd at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette he’s confident lawmakers opening a special session Tuesday will agree to replace some temporary taxes expiring July 1.
The Democratic governor called the next two weeks “our last chance to make the responsible choice to solve a problem that has for too long now held us in limbo.”
About $1.4 billion in taxes passed by lawmakers in 2015 and 2016 are expiring. Edwards wants to replace nearly $650 million to avoid deep budget cuts.
Lawmakers question whether they can reach a deal by the June 4 deadline.
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1:30 p.m.
Gov. John Bel Edwards defended his decision to veto a $28.5 billion Louisiana state operating budget that contained deep spending cuts.
The Democratic governor told a crowd Tuesday at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette that the budget proposal contained cuts that were too deep and too “catastrophic” for services.
Edwards spoke hours ahead of the opening of a special session he called trying to persuade lawmakers to replace some of the temporary taxes expiring July 1. The governor is seeking replacement of $648 million of about $1.4 billion in taxes falling off the books.
He says he spoke at the college campus because it’s threatened with deep cuts and is down the street from a safety-net hospital that could shutter in the upcoming budget year if lawmakers don’t approve taxes.
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1:20 p.m.
Gov. John Bel Edwards told those assembled on a Louisiana college campus to hear his special session opening speech that he wanted to speak directly to people who could be affected by looming budget cuts.
Rather than give the traditional speech at the state Capitol, the Democratic governor traveled to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette on Tuesday. There, he talked about the $648 million in taxes he wants passed to stop deep budget cuts.
He says he hopes “that we can shake the divisive partisanship that’s begun to take root” in Baton Rouge.
The House and Senate gavel in later in the day for a 14-day session called by Edwards to replace some of the temporary taxes that expire when the new budget year begins July 1.
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12:15 p.m.
Gov. John Bel Edwards is taking a new approach to opening the latest Louisiana special session he’s called.
Instead of speaking to lawmakers in the House chamber Tuesday, he’s giving his speech to a crowd assembled at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. That’s one of the college campuses threatened with budget cuts without tax renewals the governor’s seeking.
The House and Senate are convening their sixth special session in three years, all called by the Democratic governor to address Louisiana’s persistent financial troubles.
This 14-day gathering will determine if lawmakers will agree to replace some expiring temporary taxes to stave off budget cuts.
To evoke a spirit of bipartisanship, Republican Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser is introducing Edwards. Nungesser’s office is among those facing the possibility of cuts.
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7:30 a.m.
Louisiana lawmakers are returning for an all-too-familiar scene at the state Capitol: The opening of another special session aimed at balancing a budget riddled with holes.
The House and Senate will convene their sixth special session in three years when they gavel in Tuesday afternoon. Gov. John Bel Edwards called all of them to address Louisiana’s financial troubles.
This 14-day session, like another special session in February, will determine if lawmakers will agree to replace some expiring temporary taxes to stave off deep budget cuts.
The special session earlier this year ended in stalemate in the House amid partisan disputes.
Edwards says he’s optimistic the sense of urgency will drive action - and tax passage - this time. The Democratic governor wants to raise $648 million to fill budget gaps.
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