AP and staff reports

Louisiana legislators on Wednesday passed bills that would increase personal income taxes, do away with all sales taxes on food and utilities and give the extra money to education for teacher pay.

Since they are constitutional amendments, they will still have to be approved by voters this fall. But Ferriday teacher Janet Vaught said she was still surprised and pleased that the bills got this far. &uot;I’m glad they took us seriously, because I&160;was prepared to strike if they didn’t,&uot; Vaught said. &uot;Now, I&160;hope voters are informed enough to realize that if something like this is not done, education in Louisiana is going to get worse.&uot;

The successful passage of a sales tax bill that would bring in $110 million hinged on passage of the package of constitutional amendments.

The package went back and forth, one vote after another, until the final approval in the House – about two minutes before the session’s end. The House sales tax vote was 70-32, meaning there were no votes to spare. All tax measures need two-thirds approval, or 70 votes in the 105-member House.

When the dust settled, lawmakers had failed to pass a $13.8 billion budget although lawmakers raised taxes by over $200 million.

Taxpayers will be barred from using more than 50 percent of their federal itemized deductions on state returns and can no longer get the $25 per child school deduction. That will cost them $86 million.

Another penny sales tax was placed on food and utilities to bring in $110 million; cigarette taxes were increased 4 cents a pack to gather another $18 million, and a $5 million auto rental tax was renewed.

Gov. Mike Foster now gets to decide how the Legislature will deal with the budget bill in a special session he must call this month.

In special sessions, the Legislature can do no more than the governor outlines in his official call for the session. He can, through the written call, limit what lawmakers can do to the budget.

Lawmakers may be asked to raise some fees and perhaps other taxes, he said. Foster said he is looking at a special session starting date of ”perhaps” June 18.

He said the budget bill was left hanging in limbo because the Legislature was trying first to determine how many taxes could be passed to fill a $250 million budget hole.

With new revenue at $219 million, ”we don’t have a budget problem now,” said Foster. The new money will assure that the indigent will get free prescription drugs and that law and fire personnel will get supplemental pay.