The bill to raise the gas tax 17 cents in Louisiana is being heard in the House Ways and Means Committee. Baton Rouge Representative Steve Carter says the additional revenue is needed for Louisiana’s infrastructure, but some lawmakers are concerned the money would not go towards improving highways. Carter promises that is exactly where the dollars would go:
CUT 25 (05) “the public”
But state Director of Americans for Prosperity John Kay says now is not the time to be raising taxes on Louisiana residents…:
CUT 26 (06) “few years”
The bill would also link the state’s gasoline tax to the Consumer Price Index.

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office arrests a man for allegedly beating his 7-week-old son to death. 25-year-old Anthony Dearmas of Slidell is charged with first-degree murder. Authorities say Dearmas revealed that he had punched the baby off of a sofa and onto his head because he would not stop crying.

The Louisiana Black Caucus is livid after what they call an offensive vote to advance legislation aimed at protecting the state’s confederate monuments. Chairman, New Orleans Representative Joseph Bouie, says this bill is a Trojan horse designed to supersede the authority of local municipalities who have voted to remove such statues…:
Cut 3 (08) “white supremacy”
But Shreveport Representative Thomas Carmody says his bill would allow the public to vote on which monuments to keep and which ones to remove.
Cut 6 (11) “people decide”
The measure is headed to the Senate side on a 65-31 vote.

The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office says the situation this morning that caused a large police presence where it’s reported a subject barricaded himself in a cooler at a gas station has been resolved peacefully.

After hours of emotional debate, the full House approves a controversial bill aimed at protecting Louisiana’s confederate monuments. Shreveport Representative Thomas Carmody’s bill would prohibit the removal of any military monument without a vote from the public. He says it’s only fair to let the people decide what they want to commemorate.

Cut 17 (07) “on this issue”

The measure faced steep opposition from the Black Caucus, but passed on a 65-31 vote.

In this hour, the House Ways and Means committee takes up a proposal to increase the state’s gasoline tax by 17 cents a gallon. But State Director of Americans for Prosperity John Kay says the tax hike would be higher than that because it’s tied to the consumer price index.

Cut 10 (07) “nine years”

Supporters of the bill say more revenue is needed to pay for better roads.

A 10-year-old Lafayette cold case closes with three arrests. Lafayette Police Cpl. Karl Ratcliff says three suspects fled Acadiana after the 2007 murder, but they were later identified through video evidence. He says the suspects were picked up in Alexandria and Shreveport.

Cut 12 (11) “separate charge”

Marcus Smith, Kendall Smith, and Edward Woods are all charged with second degree murder.

A 19-year-old is behind bars following a Mother’s Day shooting at a kickball game left one Homer man dead. Police say 19-year-old Quintarrious Rice is charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon ad discharging a firearm in a gun free zone, and more arrests are expected. This was reportedly one of two shootings in a park on Mother’s Day.

The full House spent two hours on a bill designed to protect Confederate monuments before approving it to the Senate. The debate was heated and emotional. New Orleans Representative Gary Carter says Germans don’t have statues of Hitler, and other places in the world tear down monuments to hate…:
Cut 15 (09) “of Sadaam”
But supporters say this is about preserving history. Members of the Black Caucus walked out after the bill was advanced and are holding a news conference at this hour to discuss what happened.

Criminal justice reform will be taken up on the Senate floor today. State Senator Danny Martiny says they are looking to change the laws to where they make more sense when it comes to the way crime is tried..:
Cut 5 (14) “out on parole”
These three bills are part of Governor Edwards legislative agenda.

The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office books a 39-year-old man for allegedly making threats against now-former deputies involved in the arrest of his son. They say Chris Verdin Sr. saw a video of his son being arrested by the deputies who were fired on Monday, and made threats of physical violence against them. Verdin Sr. is charged with one count of Cyberstalking and four counts of Failure to appear on other violations.

Three men have been arrested after the Lafayette Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit recently closed an almost 10-year-old homicide case. Cpl. Karl Ratcliff says 39-year-old Malcolm Davis was beaten to death in 2007 and they are glad that they were able to finally give the family closure with the arrests of those allegedly responsible:
Cut 13 (11) “everybody here”
Marcus Smith, Kendall Smith, and Edward Woods are booked with second degree murder.

The full House approves a controversial measure to protect Louisiana’s confederate monuments after two hours of heated debates….:
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office is on the scene of an incident at a gas station in Vinton where apparently a man has barricaded himself inside the cooler.

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office is holding a news conference this morning to provide additional information on the arrest of a Slidell man who allegedly killed an infant.

A bill to raise the state’s gas tax for road improvements gets heard in the House Ways and Means committee today. In opposition is Director of Americans for Prosperity John Kay who says legislators raised taxes on Louisiana residents last year and this is not a good time for for another tax…:
Cut 9 (06) “few years”
But supporters say something has to be done to raise revenue for the state’s failing infrastructure.

The Lafayette Police Department says they’ve solved a 10-year-old cold case murder by arresting three north Louisiana men. Cpl. Karl Ratcliff says last December they re-opened the investigation into the brutal murder of 39-year-old Malcolm Davis, who was beaten to death at a gas station on August 10, 2007…:
Cut 11 (11) “physical altercation”
The three men face second-degree murder counts.

A proposal to raise the state’s gasoline tax to improve roads will be heard in the House Ways and Means committee today…:
Cut 2 (29) “I’m Don Molino”

The measure designed to protect military monuments in Louisiana advanced on the House floor after two hours of heated and emotional debate. The bill’s author, Shreveport Representative Thomas Carmody, says public art is meant to facilitate conversations about what the memorial is about..:
Cut 16 (08) “their country”
Black lawmakers walked out after the bill passed to the Senate on a 65 to 31 vote.

There are three bills slated to be taken up on the Senate floor today that deal with criminal justice reform. State Senator Danny Martiny has a measure that would allow consideration of parole for some offenders who meet specific requirements. He says this is about reducing the state’s prison population, not letting violent criminals out of jail…:
Cut 4 (10) “recidivism rate”
Governor Edwards is holding a news conference today to discuss progress in advancing his criminal justice reform agenda.

A bill that would end the need for most motorists to buy a Louisiana vehicle inspection sticker was defeated Monday in House Transportation over concerns it will lead to unsafe vehicles on the road. The measure would have replaced the brake tag process with a mail-in form. Rather than taking the car to a garage to be inspected, car owners would instead sign a form saying their car was road-worthy.

The full House approves a measure that would protect Louisiana’s military monuments. Black lawmakers vehemently opposed the measure that would prevent local municipalities from removing or altering any Confederate monuments without a public vote. New Orleans Representative Gary Carter:
Cut 14 (08) “my enslavement”
Supporters of the bill argue it protects Louisiana’s history. Members of the Black Caucus walked out of the House chamber when the bill passed on a 65 to 31 vote.

A proposal to increase the state gasoline tax by 17-cents is expected to finally receive a hearing in the House Ways and Means Committee today. Baton Rouge Representative Steve Carter says Louisiana has poor and congested roads, because the tax on a gallon of gasoline hasn’t increase in 20 years..:
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Opponents say residents have had taxes increased enough.

There are three bills slated to be taken up on the Senate floor today that deal with criminal justice reform. Jeff Palermo reports…:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

President Donald Trump spoke at the Annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial service on Monday in Washington, saying his administration would look for was to reduce violence against police. He singled out the fallen Baton Rouge cops killed in an ambush last year, and acknowledged their family members.

A 7-year-old child was accidentally shot and wounded this morning at Moss Bluff Elementary School near Lake Charles. Michelle Southern reports…
Voicer 2 (25) “I’m Michelle Southern”

The child is at Lafayette General and he’s recovering in the Pediatric ICU.

Emtoional debate took place this afternoon on the House floor over legislation that would give voters a say before a military monument, including those recognizing Confederate soliders, can be taken down. The measure passed on a 65-31 and Black legislators walked out of the chamber after it was approved.

An elderly Swartz man fatally shot an intruder who broke into his home. Glen Springfield with the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office says deputies responded to a report of an intruder around 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Cut 3 (10) “threatened em”
Springfield says the suspect, identified as 32-year-old Jessie Allin of Swartz died at the scene. The investigation is ongoing, but as of now no charges have been filed against the homeowners.

LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron’s voice is behind PSAs aimed at getting more flood victims to register for federal assistance. The governor’s spokesperson Richard Carbo says he’s hoping these radio ads will get more people to complete the survey at restore.la.gov.
Cut 14 (08) “billion dollars”
Carbo says about 20-thousand people have completed the survey so far.

The Senate finance committee heard emotional testimony from the mother of East Baton Rouge deputy Nick Tullier, who was critically wounded during an attack on police officers in Baton Rouge last July. Mary Tullier spoke before the panel to urge the passing of legislation that can provide financial support for officers or firemen who are catastrophically injured during a targeted attack in the line of duty. Mary Tullier says police officers don’t make enough money to cover this kind of unexpected expense….
cut 16 (11) “….to protect us”
Senate Finance is expected to vote on the bill this week.

A bill that would end the need for most motorists to buy a Louisiana vehicle inspection sticker was defeated today in House Transportation over concerns it will lead to unsafe vehicles on the road.

There’s been talk about increasing the state’s gasoline tax to pay for better roads. The proposal is expected to finally be heard in House Ways and Means tomorrow. Don Molino has more…
Voicer 4 (29) “I’m Don Molino”

The House Appropriations Committee approved a bill that seeks to make sure the inspector general’s office receives two-million dollars a year in state funding. The I-G office investigates fraud, waste and abuse within state government. If the proposal makes it through the legislative process, it would go before the public for a vote.