SPECIAL SESSION - Yesterday, Louisiana legislators convened in Baton Rouge for a Special Session called by Governor John Bel Edwards to address a looming “fiscal cliff”, a $1 billion-dollar-plus budget hole that hits July 1st, caused by expiration of temporary taxes passed by lawmakers in 2016. Those taxes were to give lawmakers two years to solve Louisiana’s financial woes. Speaking before a joint-session of the house and senate, Edwards commented on the lack of progress since and urged lawmakers to take action now. "In the 2017 Fiscal Session, the last ordinary fiscal session before the 'Fiscal Cliff', not a single bill, not one to fix the cliff
based on your own task force recommendations, even made it out of the Ways and Means Committee. And although I'm disappointed it's taken this long to solve the problem, I hope that you will find motivation in how much better off Louisiana is today than we were the first time I called you here two years ago." Without a change in revenue, Louisiana will be forced to make cuts to education, health care, and public safety programs. The Special Session ends March 7th, the Regular Session convenes March 12th.
