WAFB Channel 9, Baton Rouge, LA |Discord Apparent as LA Legislature Opens Special Session
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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Governor Kathleen Blanco faces openly rebellious lawmakers who have returned to the Capitol to consider her pre-Christmas, billion-dollar plans for tax breaks, road projects, pay raises and insurance rebates.
Blanco called a ten-day special legislative session over the objection of some legislators and government watchdog groups.
Her critics object to her nearly $2 billion spending plan, fueled by higher tax revenue from recovery-related commerce such as sale of construction materials, cars, appliances and furniture to replace that lost to two major hurricanes, Katrina and Rita, in 2005.
The session began Friday evening. Blanco is scheduled to address a joint session of the Legislature at 6 p.m. The session must end by midnight December 17.
Many lawmakers say they won't have time in the relatively short pre-holiday session to accomplish anything more than short-term solutions to long-term problems such as the hurricane-related high cost of property insurance.
Lawmakers, including Senate President Don Hines, complained that they were left in the dark while Blanco and her staff planned the agenda.
Publicly, Blanco has been optimistic that lawmakers will back her plans. She says as legislators become more informed, they're enthusiastic about the proposals.
