The regular legislative session begins today, and while the budget will be top of mind, there are many other bills lawmakers will take up. LaPolitics.com publisher Jeremy Alford says there are several measures that suggest this session will produce some of the same type of fights we saw in 2015…:
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They can’t take up tax measures this session which ends June 6th and many believe another special session will follow.

Emergency officials are still watching the rise of several rivers and bodies of water as several parishes in north and southeast Louisiana remain under a flood warning. The Rapides Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness says the levee at Bayou Darrow in Grant Parish did breach and they are working on a way to temporarily plug the control structure. GOHSEP says at least 5,000 homes have received damage, but that number is expected to go up.

There are several highway safety bills on the agenda for the regular session. One would no longer require motorcycle drivers over age 21 to wear a helmet, but political analyst Clancy Dubos doesn’t think that one will fly. He does feel lawmakers will want to tighten up distracted driving bills…:
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Governor John Bel Edwards is addressing a joint session of the legislature at 1pm on this opening day.

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and doctors say the illness is very prevalent in Louisiana. Dr. Jordan Karlitz with the Tulane Medical Center says they recommend African Americans be screened at age 45, and lower risk men and women at age 50…:
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He says screening is easy and been made much easier to tolerate.

Yahoo Sports is reporting that LSU star freshman Ben Simmons is signing with LeBron James’ agent. It’s expected Simmons will enter the draft and has played his last game as a Tiger as coach Johnny Jones didn’t accept an NIT bid on Sunday.