Baton Rouge, La. ? State lawmakers were called into special session to consider a wide range of recovery measures for hurricanes Katrina and Rita, including budget cuts and tax relief.

“This special session will move us toward bringing our families and our businesses home and bringing Louisiana back,” Gov. Kathleen Blanco said Tuesday.

The governor listed 77 possible topics that lawmakers can consider during the 17-day session, which begins Sunday.

Blanco plans to slash state spending this week by $300 million, leaving the legislators to make up the rest of a deficit of nearly $1 billion.

She told lawmakers she wants them to tap the state’s “rainy day” fund, consider borrowing cash and create a system of early retirement incentives to help reduce the state payroll.

Rep. Jim Tucker, head of the House’s GOP caucus, said conservatives want targeted cuts that slash specific programs and pork, rather than across-the-board cuts that damage important services.

“There are a lot of oxes that are going to be gored through this process, but the reality is we don’t have the money that we had prior to the storm,” he said.