The Senate Insurance Committee approves legislation that would give the insurance commissioner more authority to reject rate increases without actuarial data. New Orleans Senator Royce Duplessis strongly supports the House-approved bill. Duplessis says drastic steps need to be taken to address the insurance crisis…

Cut 10 (07) “…need this authority”

Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says his office already rejects rate increase proposals and he says this bill is over regulation, which is not what the Louisiana insurance market needs.

The state health department continues to see whooping cough cases increase, surpassing the total number of cases for 2024. Louisiana Health Secretary Bruce Greenstein says there have been 170 whooping cough cases this year as the state will likely set a record for the number of cases. Greenstein says vaccination is the best way to prevent serious complications…

Cut 6 (12) “….help protect them”

The Louisiana House will vote on a budget for next fiscal year today. House Appropriations Chairman Jack McFarland says they created some savings so Louisiana teachers can continue to receive a two-thousand dollar stipend they received the last two school years, but at this time there is no funding to continue high-dosage tutoring…

Cut 8 (09) “….dollars are recognized”

The Senate will comb through the budget for the next couple of weeks after the House approves it today.

A bill that makes it a crime to produce, sell or possess kratom continues to make its way through the Legislature. The bill’s author, Monroe Senator Jay Morris, says kratom use can lead to an elevated heart rate, seizures, psychosis, liver toxicity and even death. David Lubrano Senior says his son got hooked on kratom and ended his life…

Cut 14 (10) “…again”

Opponents of the legislation say kratom when used in its pure form is a better drug to take than opioids and its synthetic kratom that is the real problem. The Senate passed bill received House Criminal Justice Committee approval yesterday.