By Alabama Public Radio
Montgomery, AL – Three senators and three House members will meet Wednesday afternoon to work out the differences in the one point three billion dollar General Fund budget. The legislative conference committee must reconcile the Senate and House versions of the budget before it can pass the legislature. The Senate approved a budget that's seven million dollars larger than the House version. Another key issue to be resolved is the state cigarette tax. The House approved a plan that would raise the tax by 16-point-five cents per pack. A Senate version would add 23 cents per pack to major name-brand cigarettes and 63 cents per pack to generic brands.