Gov. Bobby Jindal has blasted bipartisan House budget negotiations as a secretive, back-door attempt to raise taxes on Louisiana businesses and residents.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Gov. Bobby Jindal has blasted bipartisan House budget negotiations as a secretive, back-door attempt to raise taxes on Louisiana businesses and residents.
The governor's criticism Monday came as lawmakers in the House moved ahead with the building blocks of a budget compromise that Jindal opposes because it would raise new dollars for state spending.
Jindal hasn't been included in the negotiations.
The House Ways and Means Committee advanced eight proposals to limit the tax breaks doled out by the state, as part of the talks between Republican and Democrats over a budget deal.
A bloc of conservative Republicans, nicknamed the "fiscal hawks," and Democrats are working on a compromise that would include a mix of cuts and new money raised by shrinking the tax break programs.