Author: manshipxgr

By Paul Braun

The sponsor of controversial legislation that would require criminal grand juries to review all officer-involved shootings resulting in injury or death deferred her own bill after agreeing to seek creation of a task force to study it.

Rep. Denise Marcelle, D-Baton Rouge, proposed the bill after Attorney General Jeff Landry decided not to file criminal charges against the Baton Rouge police officers involved in the 2016 shooting death of Alton Sterling.

Read the story in FOX 8/fox8live.com.

Rachel Mipro, LSU Daily Reveille

Olympic gold medals aren’t enough to keep gymnast and activist Aly Raisman silent on the issue of sexual assault, and she spoke at LSU Wednesday night about how it can affect even the most successful women.

Read the story in The Daily Advertiser.

Devon Sanders and Joby Richard

The Senate Education Committee on Thursday refused to approve a bill that would have allowed schools officials to possess firearms in a decision that marked a second defeat for efforts to arm teachers.

Read the story in The Daily Advertiser.

By Joby Richard

The fiscal cliff facing the Legislature is a little less steep than originally projected thanks to a new estimate that Louisiana will receive a $346 million windfall in tax collections as a result of changes in federal tax law.

The Revenue Estimating Conference on Thursday adopted that estimate along with projections by the Division of Administration that the state could face a $648 million budget gap unless the Legislature votes to cut services or raise more revenue.

Read the story in KALB-TV/kalb.com.

By Paul Braun

The Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would restrict prisoners convicted of 1st-degree murder from seeking medical furloughs.

The bill would significantly weaken one part of the broad changes in the criminal justice system that the Legislature approved last summer to reduce the number of inmates and cut prison costs.

Read the story in KALB-TV/kalb.com.

Kaylee Poche and Ryan Noonan

It was standing room only Tuesday as the House Appropriations Committee discussed the impact of a potential $2.3 billion cut to the state’s health care budget. The proposed cuts would drastically affect the elderly and the disabled, many of whom rely on government programs to receive proper care.

Read the story in The Shreveport Times.

By Drew White

Convicted felons who are back in their communities are one step closer toward having their voting rights restored under a bill that passed a House committee on Wednesday.

Read the story in The Daily Advertiser.

By Joby Richard

The House Education Committee on Wednesday (April 11) unanimously approved three bills that would tell students on how to report dangerous social media posts, align nutrition rules for school snacks with federal standards, and let schools administer opioid antidotes to overdose victims.

Read the story in The Times-Picayune/nola.com.

By Tryfon Boukouvidis

After a Senate panel voted Tuesday to ban the death penalty in Louisiana, a House committee rejected a similar bill 10-8 Wednesday at a tense hearing in which both sides quoted the Bible to make their points.

Read the story in FOX 8/fox8live.com.

By Devon Sanders

The Legislature on Tuesday continued a pattern of mixed action on proposals to combat gun violence, as the Senate rejected a bill to raise the legal age of assault weapons while a Senate committee approved a bill to ban bump stocks on semi-automatic weapons.

Read the story in KALB-TV/kalb.com.