Author: manshipxgr

Drew White

A bill that would establish requirements for state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Board members, which may have sparked the fistfight between two legislators last week, failed 65-18 in a House vote Friday.

Gov. John Bel Edwards and Rep. Stuart Bishop, R-Lafayette, said an argument surrounding the bill led to a physical altercation between Bishop and Sen. Norby Chabert, R-Houma, at a Baton Rouge bar last Tuesday night.

Chabert said the incident did not concern a specific bill, but rather dealt with ongoing arguments on coastal issues between the two legislators. Chabert serves as chairman of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, and Bishop is the chairman for the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee.

A proposed bill authored by Chabert would have altered the makeup of the coastal-protection board. The Senate unanimously approved the bill earlier this month.

Read the story in Houma Today.

Devon Sanders

Breayana Bradley, a Tulane student who went through the state’s foster care system, arrived at the Capitol Friday to speak up for state funding for foster care programs when she had a chance meeting with Rep. Kenny Cox, D-Natchitoches.

She left the State Capitol with an unexpected gift — a pledge from Cox to give her a legislative scholarship to fully fund her $52,960-a-year tuition at Tulane.

The lawmaker also vowed to give the scholarship in the future to other students who had been foster children.

“A smile spread across my face and wrapped around my body,” Bradley said in describing her reaction to the offer.

Read the story in The Advocate.

Paul Braun

Although legislators proposed an array of bills to deal with gun violence and improve school safety, they have passed no major changes in gun laws in a session book-ended by school shootings in Florida and Texas.

The Legislature convened for the first time this year two days before the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, and many of the bills — which would have raised the age to buy an assault rifle, ban bump stocks and arm teachers — were filed in response to that and other shootings around the country.

Even some veteran legislators were surprised by the results and attributed the lack of consensus to the vastly different priorities held by legislators across the state.

“I think it’s reflective of the state we live in,” said Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro. “People say we aren’t diverse — we are.”

Read the story in The Daily Advertiser.

Paul Braun and Drew White

Read the full story in The Ouachita Citizen.

Drew White

The Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill Thursday that could help Louisiana attract and host major events like the Super Bowl, the NBA All-Star Game, military gatherings, and national political conventions.

Currently, increases in state taxes generated as a result of certain events held in Louisiana are deposited into a fund to attract more events.

The bill, which passed the Senate 32-4, would streamline the process so Louisiana can provide proof that state funds exist to pay for portions of the projects.

“When it comes to tourism, we know that every dollar that we invest in the tourism industry generates at minimum a $19 return,” said Sen. Norby Chabert, R-Houma.

“We may not have the big bowl games unless we’re competing for them,” he added.

Read the full story in KALB.

Devon Sanders and Kaylee Poche

The House on Thursday voted 61-37 to pass the major changes that the Senate made to the state budget to fund health care services while slashing spending on state agencies and TOPS scholarships.

The budget bill now goes to Gov. John Bel Edwards, who has called a special session that starts Tuesday to try to persuade the Legislature to raise revenue and avoid the cuts.

As a result, some legislators called the bill a “pretend budget” since some of the cuts, which include a 30 percent reduction in TOPS funding, could still be averted.

Edwards has called on legislators to extend some temporary revenue measures to cover a projected $648 million shortfall in next year’s state budget.

Read the full story in The Donaldsonville Chief.

Joby Richard

Bills aimed at increasing student safety and supplementing TOPS funding have passed the Senate floor and seem close to becoming law.

One would require any K-12 student who makes threats against a classmate to undergo mental health evaluation before returning to school. It now goes back to the House for approval of amendments the Senate made.

Another would provide an additional dedicated source of funding for TOPS. The Senate passed this bill 31-2, with Sen. Jack Donahue, R-Mandeville, and Sen. Sharon Hewitt, R-Slidell, voting against it.

The House already had approved the bill. It now goes to Gov. John Bel Edwards for his signature.

Read the full story in The Louisiana Forestry Association.

Drew White

A “granny cam” bill to allow nursing home residents or their legal representatives to install monitoring devices in those residents’ rooms passed unanimously in the Senate on Wednesday.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Kirk Talbot, R-River Ridge, would enable family members or guardians to stay connected with their loved ones. The bill now returns to the House for final consideration.

Proponents of the bill say installing cameras would provide safer environments because family members could identify health problems quickly and protect older adults.

“You can observe your family member if you want at a distance and give great comfort,” Sen. Conrad Appel, R-Metairie, said.

“These cameras are generally a little box you plug into the wall, and they connect to the Internet,” he added.

Read the full story in KALB.

Paul Braun

A bill that would restore voting rights to felons on parole who have been out of prison for five years is on its way to the governor’s desk after it passed the Senate on Wednesday.

The bill passed the Senate 24-13. After failing twice in the House this session, the bill, written by Rep. Patricia Smith, D-Baton Rouge, passed the House in a 60-40 vote last week.

Louisiana is one of 21 states where felons lose the right to vote for their time in prison and for the duration of their parole. Thirteen other states generally have more restrictive laws than Louisiana, according to a study conducted by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Sen. J.P. Morrell, D-New Orleans, presented the legislation, and Sen. Dan Claitor, R-Baton Rouge, spoke at length in favor of the change.

Read the full story in The Gonzales Weekly Citizen.

Joby Richard and Kaylee Poche

The Senate on Wednesday approved bills involving student safety, behavioral health options and school bus route priorities.

One outlines ways for students to anonymously report dangerous social media posts to school administrators.

The bill, authored by Rep. Barbara Norton, D-Shreveport, would require public high schools and colleges to instruct students on how to detect potential threats in social media posts. The schools would have to establish protocols for proving that the content was threatening.

The bill also would have school officials and campus security officers report online content to law enforcement agencies when it is deemed potentially dangerous.

Read the full story in The Daily Advertiser.