House Republican Leader Offers His Plan For $304M In Cuts

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The leader of Louisiana's House Republican delegation is offering his proposal for closing a $304 million midyear deficit without needing a special legislative session.

Alexandria Rep. Lance Harris' plan would levy the deepest reduction, $147 million, on the health department. Harris cites the agency's significant budget growth over 14 years.

Public colleges wouldn't take a hit, and the state wouldn't use its "rainy day" fund under the plan Harris provided Thursday to The Associated Press.

Other cuts would fall on roadwork, state prisons and K-12 education.

The governor and the Legislature's joint budget committee could do the rebalancing without a special session.

Gov. John Bel Edwards is planning to call a mid-February session, saying the full Legislature has broader authority to make cuts without heavily damaging colleges and health programs.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.