 BATON ROUGE, La AP - A 30-day Louisiana special session called in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic to assist businesses was going down to the wire Tuesday, with a multibillion-dollar state budget awaiting passage but millions of dollars in tax breaks largely complete. The House and Senate were working on a 34 billion spending plan to keep programs and services operating in the budget year that begins Wednesday. The proposal uses federal virus aid to stop deep cuts but sets Louisiana up for future financial problems if state tax collections dont rebound from the virus outbreak. The special session must end by 6 p.m. on Tuesday. Also under negotiation was a proposal to shield K-12 schools and colleges from most civil lawsuits if a student or teacher contracts the COVID-19 disease caused by the coronavirus. And lawmakers hadnt reached a final agreement on the business lobbys top priority, an effort to rework civil litigation rules to lessen the damage claims that can be awarded in car accident lawsuits. The special session began June 1, immediately after lawmakers adjourned a regular session shortened by the coronavirus outbreak. The majority-Republican House and Senate crafted the agenda for the special session themselves, only the second time in Louisiana history that lawmakers called themselves into session, rather than letting a governor dictate the plans. GOP lawmakers said the state needed to help small businesses get on their feet after Gov. John Bel Edwards ordered closures and restrictions to respond to the coronavirus. The Legislature set aside 300 million for small business grants in the regular session and agreed to millions of dollars in business tax cuts in the special session. The session agenda - crafted in heavy consultation with business lobbying groups - provoked criticism from... 