Edwards To Unveil Plan This Week For Closing $304M Deficit

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration will unveil its proposal for closing Louisiana's $304 million deficit to lawmakers Friday. The budget-rebalancing plan will hinge on the governor's plan to call a mid-February special legislative session.

Edwards spokesman Richard Carbo says the ideas will be released to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget at its meeting to officially recognize the deficit.

Carbo said Monday the plan will include cuts the Democratic governor can make on his own, reductions the joint budget committee can enact and proposals that need the full Legislature's support to take effect.

Louisiana's lawmakers are split on the need for a deficit-closing legislative session and the wisdom of using the state "rainy day" fund to help bail out the budget as Edwards wants.

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