Governor Edwards has called the legislature into special session starting February 19 to address the so-called “fiscal cliff.” The legislature will consider, per the official order, a variety of options to raise taxes. We are pleased, however, that the Governor has also included much-needed spending and transparency reforms, including Louisiana Checkbook.

Given so many unanswered questions about projected revenue and so much work to do on reform and spending prioritization, an expensive special session at this time appears to be more about political expediency than practical problem-solving.

Louisiana lawmakers should now do everything in their power to prioritize government, reform expensive programs, and, yes, make hard choices about cutting spending before they even consider raising taxes on working families.