LSU Manship School Statehouse Bureau

Published: April 6, 2026

By: Kylah Babin and Sheridan White, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE — Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser told the Baton Rouge Press Club Monday he hopes the state Legislature gets rid of the new closed primary system after the midterm elections this year.

“This closed primary is costing Louisiana a little over $17 million,” Nungesser said, referring to its implementation this year. “And people are confused of who can vote where and what, and that’s going to be every year if we stay with a closed primary for every election.”

Earlier Monday, Nungesser appeared on WBRZ’s 2uneIn show to promote his anti-littering initiative. Love the Boot Week opens April 18. It is an effort to keep communities across the state clean and beautiful and has grown into the state’s largest litter removal and beautification initiative.

In 2025, nearly 27,000 volunteers spent more than 81,000 hours at over 1,400 events, removing 514 tons of litter across all 64 parishes. Nungesser and his team want to build on this momentum and make an even larger impact this year. Learn more about this year’s events here.

Read more at WBRZ.

Published: April 6, 2026

By: Sheridan White, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE—A House resolution seeks to recognize high school dance, cheer and lacrosse teams as sanctioned sports in a move that could bring greater structure and safety oversight to activities long popular among students but not governed like traditional athletics.

House Concurrent Resolution 10, introduced by Rep. Roger Wilder III, R-Denham Springs, would ask the Louisiana High School Athletic Association to bring the activities under its authority.

The House Education unanimously passed the resolution this week, and it will next go to the House floor.

“We’re throwing these teenage girls 15 feet in the air, and then there’s no safety protocols for that right now,” Wilder said. 

As a non-binding resolution, the measure asks – rather than orders –the LHSAA to sanction the activities, and Wilder said he simply wanted to open a dialogue about it.

Read more at Minden Press-Herald.

Published: April 3, 2026

By: Sheridan White, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE — The House Education Committee advanced a bill described as a measured effort to secure student safety options on college campuses while avoiding more controversial proposals involving firearms.

House Bill 195, introduced by Rep. Mike Bayham, R-Chalmette, would prohibit universities from banning chemical spray, such as pepper spray, allowing students to carry it as a form of self-defense.

LSU and other schools, like the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, already let students carry self-defense sprays on campus. Bayham described his bill as “a proactive measure” to ensure that colleges did not ban it.

Chemical spray would not be permitted under the bill, however, in areas where armed security was already present, including campus daycare spaces and medical centers.

Read more at Shreveport Times.

Published: April 2, 2026

By: Sheridan White, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE – Republican lawmakers killed two bills Wednesday aimed at improving voting access for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals despite testimony highlighting gaps in current laws and barriers to participation. House Bill 270 and House Bill 361, both authored by Rep. Terry Landry, D-Baton Rouge, sought to address what supporters described as inconsistencies and logistical challenges in the state’s voting system. While neither proposal would have expanded the number of eligible voters, advocates argued they would ensure existing rights were more accessible.

HB 270 focused on clarifying conflicting statutes related to voting by mail. Under current Louisiana law, individuals who are incarcerated but not convicted of a felony are eligible to vote.

However, a separate law requires first-time voters to cast ballots in person, creating a contradiction for those behind bars who cannot physically access polling places.

Landry emphasized at a hearing by the House and Governmental Affairs Committee that the bill was not about expanding voting rights but about ensuring consistency.

“We’re not expanding the voter population,” Landry said. “We’re not expanding rights. These rights currently exist. We’re just making sure that these other folks who kind of fall in that loophole also get that same right.”

Read more at KATC.

Published: April 2, 2026

By: Gracie Thomas, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE – A House bill that would require the Louisiana Secretary of State to submit details on every registered voter to a national database for investigation into their eligibility passed 73-29 Tuesday following extensive debate.

House Bill 691, by Rep. Beau Beaullieu (R-New Iberia) would require the secretary of state to submit personal information of every registered voter in the federal database annually.

All potential noncitizens would be subject to an investigation by their parish’s division of election integrity to verify their status, which could result in cancellation of their registration. Voters would have 30 days to respond once they had been sent a notification.

Louisiana election officials already have used the federal technology to remove approximately 400 noncitizens from the state’s voting rolls.

Read more at KLFY.

Published: April 2, 2026

By: Veronica Camenzuli, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE — A House committee voted 12-0 to repeal a requirement that clerks of court must remove personal information about many current and former public officials from online records if the individuals requested their removal.

The provision involving the clerks’ offices is part of more sweeping and controversial legislation passed in the past two years that allows a wide range of officials and judges to demand that individuals and organizations retract personal data like birthdates and addresses if they are posted online.

People or groups that refuse to retract the information can face up to 90 days in jail or a $1,000 fine.

The only exemption was for the Secretary of State’s office, which needs to gather personal information to qualify political candidates

Read more at The Advertiser.

Published: April 1, 2026

By: Sheridan White and Dakota Lazlo, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE – A House bill aimed at protecting teachers from student attacks is gaining traction after advancing through a committee without opposition.

Meanwhile, separate legislation simplifies rules governing how retired teachers can return to work under the Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana.

House Bill 283, introduced by Rep. Candace Newell, D-New Orleans, would require schools to remove students who assault teachers, school employees or other students and place them in an alternative school setting.

The proposal, also known as the “Teacher Shield Act,” is based on what Newell described as a “deep passion” for teachers and classroom safety. A former schoolteacher herself, Newell said she understands firsthand the challenges educators face and the importance of maintaining a secure learning environment.

Read more at KTBS.

Published: April 1, 2026

By: Sheridan White, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE – Louisiana lawmakers are advancing a series of education and workforce bills aimed at expanding vocational opportunities for students and addressing gaps in training across the state.

Three key proposals – House Bills 325, 407 and 482 – highlight a broader push to make career pathways more flexible, accessible and in tune with workforce needs.

HB 325, proposed by Rep. Ken Brass, D-Vacherie, is designed to give graduating high school seniors an additional pathway to earn scholarship money under TOPS Tech program for vocational training.

The measure would allow students to qualify by completing nine hours of dual-enrollment coursework aligned with the skills of their chosen technical program rather than meeting the normal grade-point-average and ACT test requirements.

The TOPS Tech Award may be used for up to two years of skill or occupational training at any campus of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, accredited two-or-four-year public colleges or universities, or private colleges or universities.

Read more at WWNO.

Published: April 1, 2026

By: Izzy Wollfarth, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE – A House committee voted 7-0 to advance a bill Tuesday that would allow terminally ill inmates to be released up to 120 days before their expected death, doubling the current 60-day window for early release.

Under the current statute, considerations for early release apply only in situations where death is expected within 60 days of diagnosis or if a person is incapacitated.

Rep. Jerome Zeringue, R-Houma, who sponsored the bill, said he remains in support of tough- on-crime bills. He said extending the early release threshold to 120 days would allow the

Department of Corrections to adequately assess and place the individuals in appropriate care upon release.

Read more at WBRZ.

Published: April 1, 2026

By: Dakota Lazlo, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE — Louisiana is still facing a shortage of about 1,200 teachers, according to testimony at a House hearing this week.

The shortage was more severe during the COVID-19 pandemic, when classrooms across the state struggled to keep staff as thousands of teachers retired over health concerns or work difficulties.

Lawmakers moved then to temporarily loosen restrictions on retired teachers returning to work, and now they are looking for a longer-term solution to reduce the remaining gap.

The Senate Finance Committee voted 6-1 Monday to advance Senate Bill 14, authored by Sen. Ed Price, D-Gonzales. It would reorganize and simplify the rules governing how retired teachers can return to work under the Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana.

Read more at Houma Today.