by: Dusty Crochet Posted: Mar 4, 2016 / 06:39 AM CST Updated: Mar 4, 2016 / 06:39 AM CST SHARE </div><div></div><p><div>BATON ROUGE, La. – There was a brief thaw in the legislative stalemate over additional revenue raising measures in the Louisiana House Thursday.</p><p>After sitting on dozens of tax bills for days, house members voted 73-25 to raise the state cigarette tax by 22 cents to $1.08 per pack. The bill by State Rep. Walt Leger, D-New Orleans, would raise $46 million a year, $16 million for the remainder of the current fiscal year that ends on June 30.</p><p>“This excise tax will help stop the use of this product, while allowing us to raise some revenue in the process,” Leger told house members.</p><p>The house adjourned before taking up any of the remaining revenue bills, including higher taxes on alcohol.</p><p>Lawmakers must plug a $900 million hole in the state budget by March 9, the final day of the special legislative session.</p><p>“A lot of bills that are over here are part of a bigger discussion that’s ongoing about how we close that gap,” Leger said. “That’s why the maneuvering and why the bills are kind of being held up.”</p><p>The Senate Finance Committee cleared the way for the house to consider additional tax measures by approving a package of proposed budget cuts.</p><p>Members reversed most of the $44 million in house-backed cuts to the Department of Education. They also added $80 million in new revenue from a one-time refinancing of state bonds. The plan still requires the house to approve $83 million more in taxes.</p><p>“We got it clearly laid out for them with the action that was taken and a bottom line number now and hopefully, they’ll take some action and send some instruments over to us,” Senate President John Alario R-Westwego said.</p><p>“The budget that we put back together makes a lot more sense for vital needs of the folks here in the state of Louisiana,” Sen. Wesley Bishop, D-New Orleans said.</p><p>Lawmakers say they now feel a lot more comfortable about the prospect of balancing the state budget by Wednesday. But, they admit, they are not there yet. The house reconvenes at 3 Friday afternoon, with many of the same tax bills sitting on the calendar.</div></p><div></div><p>(© 2016 WWL)</p>
