By Sarah Gamard
The House passed 86-1 Thursday House Concurrent Resolution 15 by Rep. Kenny Cox, D-Natchitoches, officially recognizing the Natchitoches Tribe of Louisiana as a state Indian tribe. It now goes to the Senate.
Read the story in USA Today
By Katie Gagliano
A bill proposing improved water quality standards for the state left the House Health and Welfare Committee to the full House Wednesday, somewhat hobbled after contentious debate led to a face-off between representatives.
Read the story in The Opelousas Daily World
By Sarah Gamard
The Senate unanimously passed a bill Wednesday evening that aims to prevent young drivers from contentious interactions with traffic cops. The House did something similar earlier in the week.
Read the story in The Shreveport Times
By Caitie Burkes
The Louisiana Senate has approved, 33-3, a bill that would end the Motion Picture Production Tax Credit program after eight years unless the Legislature votes to renew it and reined in the generous tax break for movie companies using the state as shoot locations
Read the story in The Shreveport Times
By Caitie Burkes
The Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations favorably moved two bills by Sen. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans — one to increase the state’s minimum wage to $8.50 an hour by 2019 and the other to enact a non-discrimination policy for Louisiana employees who identify as LGBT.
Read the story in bestofneworleans.com/Gambit
By Sarah Gmard
Compared to the average male, a male firefighter is 102 percent more likely to develop testicular cancer and 28 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer.
Sen. Ryan Gatti, R-Bossier City, told his Senate colleagues Wednesday that such statistics inspired him to file Senate Bill 63, which adds those two cancers and, through an amendment, any cancer deemed having work-related origins, to the occupational diseases covered by workers’ compensation for firefighters during their service or in post-retirement.
Read the story in The Shreveport Times
By Christian Boutwell
House Bill 20, a constitutional amendment by Rep. Ed Price, D-Gonzales, that would give schools adversely affected by a natural disaster some potential leeway with state requirements unanimously passed the House and moved to the Senate.
Read the story in The Donaldsonville Chief
By Katie Gagliano
A measure to ensure consistent funding for the TOPS scholarship program was voluntarily deferred in a House Appropriations Committee Tuesday over concerns about diverting monies from the state’s general fund, thus hurting other unnamed entities.
Read the story in The Daily Advertiser
By Sarah Gamard and Caitie Burkes
By Katie Gagliano
A bill to forbid investment of Louisiana public money in countries or companies connected to terrorist activity passed the Senate Finance Committee on Monday (May 8). Senate Bill 223 by Sen. Neil Riser, R-Columbia, would prohibit investment in Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria and in companies that engage in business with these countries.
Read the story in NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune
LSU Manship School Statehouse Bureau 