Louisiana governor calls special legislative session to deal with hurricane aftermath News
Louisiana governor calls special legislative session to deal with hurricane aftermath

[JURIST] Members of the Louisiana Legislature [official website] have been summoned [official announcement] by Governor Kathleen Blanco [official website] for a two-week session [Governor's statement; press conference video] to deal with the consequences of Hurricane Katrina [JURIST news archive] and Hurricane Rita. The special session will start this Sunday and last for two weeks through November 22. Among the 77 topics on the agenda are various tax proposals, borrowing and spending options to manage the $1 billion state budget deficit, and other financial restructuring. For individuals, tax proposals include a one-day statewide sales tax holiday and property tax breaks. For businesses, options to be discussed are placing a limit on the sales taxes that businesses are required to pay on natural gas and electricity and 100 percent tax breaks for businesses who purchase manufacturing machinery and equipment from areas affected by the hurricanes. AP has more.