The 2017 legislative session begins today. Governor John Bel Edwards will address lawmakers from the House chamber at 1 PM and he’ll ask legislators to pass a significant change to our tax code that would increase taxes on businesses, but promises to lower taxes on most Louisiana residents. Minden Representative Gene Reynolds heads the state Democratic caucus and believes the governor’s tax plan will be hard to pass in this two month session. He says Edwards might have more success if a constitutional convention was called….

cut 9 (09) “…a while”

Big news on the economic development front. A chemical company from China has chosen Louisiana to build a one-point-one billion dollar manfufacturing complex. The state’s economic development office says the project will create 170 new direct jobs and another 945 new indirect jobs. A specific site selection will be made later this year.

Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves says he will resign if the federal government is the reason flood victims have not yet received any federal assistance. Graves made the comments on the Jim Engster Show, also issuing a call for Governor John Bel Edwards to do the same…

Cut 6 (09) “…with the governor”

Richard Carbo with the Governor’s Office says there is no truth to Graves’ claims that the state is holding up the process. He says Louisiana submitted its plan on how to spend recovery dollars to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development with record speed, and the funds are tied up in red tape on the federal level.

Cut 7 (09) “…the funds”

Carbo says they anticipate the federal government will release the money very soon. In the meantime they are asking 2016 flood victims to fill out a survey at restore-dot-la-dot-gov.