(AP) — As deep budget cuts threaten state services and jobs, Gov. Bobby Jindal told lawmakers on the opening day of the annual regular session Monday that the money troubles also provide a chance to change the way Louisiana does business.”It is our job to give our people a new Louisiana so our children and our grandchildren can pursue their dreams without leaving home. I know we’ve got enormous challenges, but these are enormous opportunities,” Jindal told a joint session of the House and Senate.Louisiana’s financial difficulties have overshadowed other debates, as lawmakers, state agencies and public colleges brace for more budget cuts — on top of three rounds of reductions levied over the past year and a half.”The state’s no different than a family. You have to do things differently when there’s less money,” said Sen. Danny Martiny, R-Kenner. “But I’m sure the people that are going to get cut aren’t going to look at it as an opportunity.”A deficit of up to $400 million is projected for the remaining three months of the current fiscal year, and lawmakers will have to rebalance this year’s budget before they can devise a final plan for next year.Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, of New Orleans, said this session would be the most difficult she’s seen in her decade in the Legislature.Jindal proposed a mix of one-time funding and cuts to balance next year’s $24.2 billion budget. Disagreements have already emerged between the House and Senate about how much should be trimmed and how much state trust funds should be tapped to fill gaps in the 2010-11 fiscal year that begins July 1.In his speech, the governor said lawmakers need to unlock some of the state funds that are dedicated to specific programs, ease the ability to tap into state trust funds in difficult budget years and tie dollars to performance standards.The speech hit several recurring themes for the governor, repeating comments he’s made to chambers of commerce, rotary clubs and other groups around the state.Jindal contrasted his approach to the state budget problems with Washington officials, saying Louisiana won’t raise taxes or deficit-spend to cope with the wide-ranging shortfalls. Neither is allowable anyway: tax increases can’t be considered in the regular session this year, and the state is constitutionally required to maintain a balanced budget each year.One of this session’s most heated disputes is expected to center on a bill by Sen. A.G. Crowe, R-Slidell, that attempts to nullify the federal health care overhaul, arguing the congressional legislation is unconstitutional.Tea party groups in the state have made Crowe’s bill one of their top priorities for passage in the session, while the Legislature’s black caucus is vowing to fight it.Besides financial matters, lawmakers are debating an array of ideas that include looser gun restrictions, a red light camera ban, tougher laws for drunk drivers and sex offenders and changes to state ethics laws.The legislative session runs until June 21.—–Contact The Daily Reveille’s news staff at [email protected]