Associated Press - June 23, 2009 7:24 PM ET

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana House members have rejected a Senate proposal aimed at easing higher education budget cuts by postponing a scheduled tax break for three years.

The House rejected a bill by Rep. Karen Carter Peterson that would delay a 2007 law that allows individual taxpayers to deduct all of their excess itemized deductions compared with the current 65%. The change is scheduled to take effect for 2009 tax forms, but the Senate wants to delay that change until taxpayers fill out their 2012 forms.

The resulting $118 million generated next year would go to universities, community colleges and technical schools, to lessen layoffs and other cut backs.

Peterson, a New Orleans Democrat, won 34 votes in support; 69 House members voted "No."

On the Net:

House Bill 689 can be viewed at http://legis.state.la.us

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