La. colleges may soon be able to grow marijuana, hemp

By D.B. Narveson

BATON ROUGE — University agriculture centers might soon be able to start growing marijuana and its plant cousin, hemp, for industrial and medicinal purposes.

House Agriculture Committee approved two bills to the House floor Tuesday related to the currently illegal plants in the cannabis family. They would make it legal for universities to research the use of the fiber from the hemp plant for uses in textiles and other industries and growing marijuana for medical uses.

Read the story in The Shreveport Times

REAL ID PASSES HOUSE 90-11

By Nick Chrastil

House Bill 702, sponsored by Rep. Jimmy Harris, D- New Orleans, would give Louisianans the option of getting a REAL ID, in addition to a Louisiana drivers license.

Read the story in The Eunice News

UNIVERSITIES EYE TUITION DISCOUNTS FOR OUT-OF-STATE STUDENTS

By Samuel Carter Karlin
BATON ROUGE, LA. — Louisiana universities are eyeing tuition discounts for neighboring out-of-state students in an effort to revamp enrollment as those nearby states recruit Louisiana students who are uncertain if their TOPS scholarships will be there in the fall.
Rep. Rob Shadoin, R-Ruston, filed HB 989 to make it easier for Louisiana schools to charge less than the southern regional average tuition for out-of-state students. Currently, out-of-state tuition and fees at public institutions must be at least equal to the average of schools in the Southern Regional Education Board.

St. Joseph residents make their water case at Capitol

XGR-St.-Joe-Water-1
Lady Carlson, a Together Louisiana organizer, has been helping residents of St. Joseph, La., get their drinking water problems resolved.  Residents pleaded in front of the House Natural Resources and Environmental Quality Committee Wednesday. Photo by Quint Forgey.

By Quint Forgey

BATON ROUGE — As band of emotional and frustrated residents from the beleaguered town of St. Joseph in Tensas Parish pleaded with lawmakers Wednesday for help obtaining cleaner, safer water for their children.

Read the story in The News Star