Going into his third year as the Louisiana governor, Edwards has had to deal with a budgetary process and major deficits arising from fiscal mismanagement from the Governor Bobby Jindal administration and oil price drops which has resulted in a penny sales tax increase that sunsets next summer.  

Obviously, fiscal hawks want more cuts and blame the Governor and his allies for raising taxes.  However, faced with the prospects of more serious hits upon the business community, last year, even the business lobby, The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI )agreed to a one-penny temporary sales tax increase while offering a two penny increase  as a possible resolution.  Since then, LABI and Republicans, in general, have demanded more government cuts. 

As a result of the likely battle brawls and another budget special session, Edwards and key administration officials are taking its case to the state business community in a series of meetings or round-table-discussions..

Below is the press statement issued by the Governor's office, today:

 Yesterday, Gov. John Bel Edwards, Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne and Kimberly Lewis Robinson, Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Revenue, met with business leaders and local elected officials in New Orleans to discuss ways the state and business community can partner to stabilize the state budget.  This was the fourth meeting in a series that Gov. Edwards is hosting around the state of Louisiana to solicit ideas from the business community and local officials on best practices for Louisiana.  The state faces a more than $1 billion fiscal cliff on July 1, 2018, when temporary taxes expire.