A House bill seeking to prevent municipalities from removing Confederate monuments stonewalled in committee today. The legislation would create a board that would have to approve whether or not a statue older than 30 years could be relocated. Shreveport Representative Thomas Carmody says you can’t erase history:
CUT 9 (06) “our story”
But Shreveport Representative Sam Jenkins says local governments should be able to make their own decisions about their own property…:
CUT 12 (08) “monuments”
A similar bill also died in the Senate.

A mother from Baton Rouge who cops say was driving drunk with her 9-year-old in the vehicle at the time, nearly crashed into a marked police unit. BRPD says 42-year-old Chiquita Chriss was discovered to have a BAC of nearly three times the legal limit. She was booked for DWI and reckless operation.

The first test burn of explosives is successful at Camp Minden in Webster Parish. Emelie Gunn has more…:
CUT 1 (29) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The Saints regular season schedule will be released at 7 PM tonight along with the rest of the NFL teams. New Orleans will play their division rivals twice, and they’ll also have games against the Rams, Seahawks, Lions, Cardinals, 49ers, Giants and teams from the AFC West.

The state House approves a bill that would double the fines for a seat belt violation. First offense would be $50 and then it would go to $75 for additional times a motorist is busted not buckled up. New Orleans Representative Walt Leger says this will save lives and dollars…:
CUT 4 (08) “their sea belts”
The measure passed on a 62-34 vote and now moves to the Senate.

The LHSAA is meeting today and talking about the controversial select/non-select split championships in high school football and other sports. There’s a bill before the legislature that aims to put a stop to separating public and private schools. There’s been talk of creating another organization where all schools could compete. But LHSAA past president Todd Guice doesn’t think that would help anything…:
CUT 19 (11) “get there”

The Louisiana National Guard at Camp Minden successfully conducted their first test burn of 88 pounds of M6 propellant. Col. Pete Schneider says over the next 30 days they’ll ramp up different amounts until they reach the full capacity of about 800 pounds. He believes it’ll take about a year to burn all of the propellant that was improperly stored by Explo Systems…:
CUT 6 (07) “M6 free”
Schneider says the burn is environmentally friendly.

Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Rebekah says the $409 million dollars in cuts they received is forcing them to lay people off, and they can’t take another hit in state general funds. She says DHH has gone from 12-thousand employees in Louisiana to 55-hundred…:
cut 12 (10) “vital facilities”
Four of the ten hospitals for the poor and uninsured in Louisiana are at risk of closing because of critical cuts to DHH.

There’s a lot of uncertainity surrounding TOPS based on the governor’s proposed budget that calls for a 62-percent cut in state funding for the scholarship program. Under current rules, if no more money is allocated to TOPS then only students with an ACT of 27 or higher would be eligible. Higher Ed Commissioner Joseph Rallo hopes this will not deter college students from going to school….
cut 9 (08) “….state’s future”
House Appropriations Chairman Cameron Henry believes the state can allocate more money for TOPS without raising revenues.

Debate takes place this morning in a House committee that will make it more difficult for a local government to remove a confederate monument. Former state senator Elbert Guillory, who is an african american, supports the legislation…
cut 6 (06) “…aside”

The Louisiana House approves a measure that would double the fine for not wearing a seatbelt. New Orleans Representative Walt Leger’s measure increases the fine from 25-to 50 dollars and believes this increase could help with compliance…
cut 3 (07) “,….on this”
The measure passed on a 62-34 vote and now moves to the Senate.

Louisiana has broken a record for a fourth consecutive year for the number of tourists that visited the state. In 2015, Louisiana welcomed almost 29-million visitors, who spent over 11-billion dollars. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says the state needs to do whatever it can to keep those numbers going up…
cut 16 (10) “….forward”
Nungesser credits the people at the department of tourism, who do a great job bringing people to the state.

Four hospitals for the poor and uninsured could close under proposed cuts to the Department of Health and Hospitals. There are just 10 left in the state. DHH Secretary Rebekah Gee says with a $750 million dollar deficit, you must have another special session to raise revenue instead of moving money around and cutting vital services…:
CUT 13 (09) “we don’t”
Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says the state needs to come up with 75-million dollars to keep the other four safety net hospitals open.

Another Confederate monument debate is set to happen today in a House committee. This bill would establish a board that would have to grant a waiver before any monument 30 years or older could be relocated. Former state senator Elbert Guillory is an African American who wants the statues to stay where they are. He says it’s about preserving history for future generations…:
CUT 5 (06) “been through”

The LHSAA’s executive committee is meeting today as lawmakers have a bill before them to end split playoffs in high school sports. Jeff Palermo has the story…:
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

For the fourth year in a row, Louisiana broke another tourism record. Lt. Governor Bill Nungesser says last year, visitors spent over $11 billion dollars here and that’s money that translates to taxpayer savings…:
CUT 15 (10) “we invested”

House Appropriations Chairman Cameron Henry believes lawmakers can fund the TOPS scholarship program without raising additional taxes. Governor Edwards says additional revenues are needed to fund all of the priorities in the budget. But Henry says the governor is painting the worst picture possible in order to raise taxes…:
Cut 8 (10) “in Baton Rouge”
Not only are colleges dealing with a potential cut to TOPS, but they are also facing a 46 million dollar cut in state funding. Higher Education Commissioner Joseph Rallo says there is a lot of uncertainty right now when it comes to higher education…:
Cut 10 (10) “be different”
Edwards plans to call another special session as early as June 7th.

For the fourth consecutive year, Louisiana has broken records in tourism, according to Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser. Halen Doughty has more…:
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”

The LHSAA Executive Committee holds its spring meeting today, and they’ll continue to discuss the expanded public-private school playoff split that’s been in place for football and will impact other sports next school year. Todd Guice, LHSAA past president, says he still hopes that something can be done to end the split…:
Cut 17 (05) “found this”

The lawyer for the man accused of murdering former New Orleans Saints player Will Smith, following an apparent car accident, says he’s got proof his client, Cardell Hayes, was acting in self defense in the incident. Attorney John Fuller:
CUT 30 (15) “not guilty”
The family attorney for the victim says Smith was shot 8 times in the back.

Another bill aimed to prevent of removal of confederate monuments is set to be heard today at the state capitol. A Senate committee already rejected a bill with similar overtones. Former state senator Elbert Guillory, who is an African American, has been a vocal supporter of efforts to keep Confederate monuments standing…:
cut 4 (06) “foolish”
The measure is scheduled for debate today in the House Municipal Affairs committee.

Governor Edwards proposed 183 million dollars worth of cuts to the TOPS scholarship program. Emelie Gunn has more on what this means…:
CUT 1 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Four of the ten hospitals for the poor and uninsured in Louisiana are at risk of closing because of critical cuts to the state Department of Health and Hospitals. DHH Secretary Rebekah Gee says her department took over half of the 750-million dollars in budget cuts, which means some people may lose access to healthcare…:
cut 11 (09) “in access”

The defense attorney for Cardell Hayes, the man charged in the murder of former Saints defensive end Will Smith, says once the truth comes out, his client will be found not guilty. John Fuller says a witness will back up Hayes’ story that he did not provoke the shooting….:
CUT 1 (16) “…she witness”
Fuller added witnesses has given him plenty of information to prove that his client is legally not guilty.

Louisiana breaks the tourism record for the fourth year in a row, according to Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser. In 2015, Louisiana welcomed almost 29 million visitors, who spent over $11 billion. Nungesser says the state needs tourism dollars to help resolve the budget problems…:
Cut 14 (09) “that gap”

House Appropriations Chairman Cameron Henry believes lawmakers can fund the TOPS scholarship program without raising additional taxes. Governor John Bel Edwards proposed budget for next fiscal year calls for a 183 million dollars cut to the state-funded scholarship program, because of a large revenue shortfall. But Henry says the state has enough money to fund TOPS…:
CUT 7 (08) “TOPS”
Under current rules, if no more money is allocated to TOPS then only students with an ACT of 27 or higher would be eligible for TOPS.

A Senate panel approved, without objection, a measure that would expand the number of diseases medical marijuana can be used to treat. The measure now goes to the full Senate.

Governor John Bel Edwards has signed an executive order that bans discrimination against members of the LGBT community who work for the state, or who receive state services or benefits. Matthew Patterson with Equality Louisiana says this new order also includes gender-identity, making this the first order protecting transgender individuals in the state.

cut 16 (09) “included here”

Similar orders were signed by former Democratic governors, but they were limited to sexual orientation.

A proposed constitutional amendment to allow non-felons to carry concealed hand guns without a permit was shot down by the House Criminal Justice committee. Victoria Joy with Louisiana Violence Reduction Coalition says it would let people with a dangerous arrest record conceal a gun.

CUT 9 (10) “do so”

Peter Thomson, the attorney for the family of the former-Saints player who was shot and killed, says he wants to clear up lies being spread by the defense lawyer of Cardell Hayes. Thomson says the gun found in Will Smith’s vehicle was never removed from the car…:

cut 14 (09)  “a firearm”

Thomson says after the killer shot Smith, he showed no remorse and actually stood over Smith’s dead body and kept yelling.

The House Health and Welfare Committee approved a proposal to allow farmers to sell raw milk. Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says drinking raw milk is not safe because of bacteria it contains. But Sierra Majors of Melville says consuming raw milk is not dangerous.

CUT 6 (06) “the market”

The bill now heads to the House floor.

The Senate Health and Welfare Committee approved a bill to allow for the sale of raw, unpasteurized milk. Sierra Majors of Melville says people should have the right to choose if they want to drink raw milk.

CUT 5 (06)  “first place”

But Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says the bacteria in milk can cause a wide range of diseases. He says those bacteria need to be killed before the milk is consumed.

CUT 8 (10) “salmonella”

The bill now heads to the Senate floor.

Governor John Bel Edwards has signed an executive order protecting members of the LGBT community from discrimination in state government. The order also included gender-identity, making it the first order protecting transgender people in Louisiana.

The Senate has approved a bill to increase the fine for texting or using social media while driving from $175 to $500. West Monroe Senator Mike Walsworth added an amendment to the bill to increase the penalties for minors because he says sometimes a fine is not enough to get their attention.

CUT 4 (06)  “60 days”

The bill now heads to the House for more debate.

A House committee shot down a proposal that would allow gun owners to carry concealed firearms without a permit. A volunteer with the Louisana Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense, spoke out against the legislation…
cut 10 (10) “…daily basis”
The House Criminal Justice Committee unanimously rejected the proposal.

The family attorney for former Saints player Will Smith, who was shot and killed says the shooting was intentional and Smith’s wife Racquel was shot twice. Peter Thomson says he wants to clear up lies being spread by the defense lawyer of Cardell Hayes. Thomson says Hayes claims that there was a hit and run Magazine Street are false.
cut 12 (07) “to that car”

Thomson says the Hummer later violently rammed the back of Smith’s car, and that’s when the altercation started.

Governor Edwards has signed an executive order to ban discrimination against those in the LGBT community who work for the state or receive state benefits. Matthew Patterson with Equality Louisiana says this is a historic day for Louisiana.
cut 15 (06) “this minute”

Patterson says this new order also includes gender-identity.

A Senate committee has approvoved a measure to allow the sale of raw milk. Halen Doughty has more…
CUT 1 (29) “I’m Halen Doughty”

The Senate approves a bill to up the fine for using social media or texting for while driving from $175 to $500 for the first offense. The fine goes up to 1,000 dollars for any following offenses. Author of the legislation Baton Rouge Senator Yvonne Colomb says there isn’t a fine for voice texting. West Monroe Senator Mike Walsworth added an amendment to increase the penalties for minors by suspending their drivers license.