BATON ROUGE - Negotiations over how best to rebalance Louisiana's budget are staying behind the scenes.

Lawmakers in the House on Tuesday again stalled votes on tax hikes, as bill sponsors tried to rally enough support for passage. House Speaker Taylor Barras, a Republican, called on lawmakers in his chamber to "bear with us" after another day of inaction.

The House and Senate are at loggerheads about how to close a deep budget hole before June 30.

Senators keep waiting for House members to vote on more taxes that could raise money to patch budget holes. But House leaders seem resistant to the idea, saying Tuesday they want to make sure senators are willing to make cuts, not just raise taxes.

A March 9 deadline on the special session is growing ever closer.