La. House debates deeper budget cuts than Gov. Edwards wants
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BATON ROUGE - A state lawmaker has shelved his budget-rebalancing proposal to slash $188 million from state spending over the remaining four months of the financial year.
After two hours of debate, Republican Rep. Rick Edmonds pulled his plan from House floor discussion without a vote.
The House is instead taking up a different cut proposal with fewer reductions than Edmonds sought, a proposal by Republican Rep. Cameron Henry.
Edmonds' bill proposed cutting $128 million more than Gov. John Bel Edwards wants to reduce to help eliminate Louisiana's deficit - and wouldn't use the state's "rainy day" fund at all.
Henry's bill being debated Friday would use $75 million of the reserves, still less than the $120 million Edwards wants.
House debate comes as the session hit its midpoint. It must end Wednesday.