Gov. Edwards Trying To Sell Lawmakers On Need For Taxes

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Gov. John Bel Edwards has been meeting with groups of lawmakers over the last week, trying to build support for a fast-approaching special session on taxes.

The Democratic governor wants to raise an additional $600 million for next year's budget in the special session that begins Monday, 30 minutes after the current regular session ends, to stave off cuts across education and health programs.

He continues to face Republican resistance to taxes, particularly in the House.

Edwards said in an interview Friday that he believes the House and Senate's difficulty crafting a budget without the additional $600 million helps build his case for taxes with lawmakers.

Up for discussion in the special session are proposals to scale back tax breaks and raise income taxes on some middle- and upper-income earners.

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