The governor and House GOP leaders are jockeying for position on a potential special session grand bargain to fix the fiscal cliff. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo.”
The special session kicks off today to address a one billion dollar shortfall. Legislators have until March 7th to find a fix to the looming fiscal cliff or else cuts will occur in the areas of higher education and health care. Council for a Better Louisiana President Barry Erwin says the governor has talked privately with house speaker Taylor Barras on solutions, but
Early reports say legislators are making progress on a fix the to one billion dollar budget gap. Erwin says even though a deal isn’t currently on hand, he expects some agreement to be made.

Cut 5 (09) “this bunch.”
———————————————————————————————————
Springtime is acceptance letter season for most college bound high school students, and the state’s budget uncertainty is causing many to rethink whether they want to attend school in Louisiana. LSU president F. King Alexander is calling on legislators to find a budget solution that funds higher ed and TOPS by the end of the February special session.

Cut 12 (10) “difficult position”

Alexander says there was a noticeable impact the last time the state failed to properly fund TOPS in a timely manner.

Many Americans are swimming in debt and getting in deeper than ever. One report suggests total household debt has risen to 13-trillion-dollars for 2017. Louisiana appears to be America’s capital of past due debt, with almost half of its residents in debt that has gone into collections. Professor of Economics at Xavier University of Louisiana Dr. Jose Bautista says Another reason credit debt is so high is the lack of a savings account. Dr. Bautista says most are left with no choice but to use credit cards for emergencies, but it starts a slippery downhill slide…

Cut 16 (06) ” to multiply.”

Medical bills are a large part of financial distress, especially if there isn’t enough insurance coverage. Dr. Bautista says get coverage to cover all your medical needs…