Breaux Bridge Representative Mike Huval’s proposal banning handheld cellphone use while driving is up for a critical vote in a Senate committee this morning…
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”
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AAA estimates there will be a 17 percent increase in teen driver fatalities on the road over the next roughly 100 days as summer break means more kids on the road. Matt Doyle has the story.
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Judges are the governor’s signature away from a 2.5 percent pay raise next year, with potential for 2.5 percent pay raises for the next five years. Matt Doyle has more…
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A bill prohibiting handheld use of cellphones while behind the wheel has cleared the House and is being heard in Senate Judiciary Committee C today. It will also need full Senate approval before the session ends on Thursday. Last year, a similar effort got hung up, but Breaux Bridge Representative Mike Huval is confident this year will be different.
Current law only calls for no handheld cell phone use while driving in a school zone. Opponents to Huval’s bill say there are other distractions like eating, talking to a passenger or changing the radio station, so why just focus on cell phone use. But Huval says statistics show cell phone use is a factor in many accidents.
Cut 5 (11) “…causing multiple accidents.”
Huval says Georgia has a similar law as his bill and it has saved lives.
Cut 6 (10) “…the driving public.”
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AAA is warning drivers to be extra cautious on the roads this summer as teens off from school pack the roadways. Spokesperson Don Redman says 3,500 drivers nationwide have died in wrecks with teens in a five-year period during the “100 Deadliest Days” between 2013 and 2017.
There’s a 17 percent increase in fatal teen crashes during this period relative to other times in the year. The top three killers of teen drivers are speeding at 28 percent of all fatalities, drunk driving 17 percent, and distraction at 9 percent. Redman says parents need to set a good example, particularly distraction.
52 percent of teen drivers report that they operate their cellphone while behind the wheel.
Redman says there’s one hard and fast rule to keep your teen driver from killing themselves is not letting them chauffeur their friends. Redman says each additional teen passenger in a car driven by a teen doubles the chances of a wreck.
Two thirds of those injured or killed in wrecks involving teen drivers are not the teen drivers themselves.
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Teachers may not know the exact raise they’ll get, but judges will see a 2.5 percent pay raise on July 1st, with potential for additional raises over the next five years gains as a result of bill that has received final legislative passage. Despite ultimately voting for it, Baton Rouge Representative Steve Carter is frustrated that Louisiana chases the southern regional average for state salaries, but not for vital services.
A study by LSU Economist Dr. Loren Scott indicated Louisiana judges were 2.5 percent behind the southern regional average in pay.
Erath Representative Blake Miguez grilled Houma Representative Tanner Magee over reports that judges received pay raises from 2013-2017 while the state budget was in chaos. Magee countered…
The raise will cost 1.8 million in the first year and could grow to 9.5 million if the State Supreme Court approves raises in each of the next five years.
The testy exchange between the two continued as Miguez stated it isn’t fair that his constituents have taken years of pay cuts while judges salaries have continued to expand. Magee says that’s just how our government works right now.
The House ultimately voted 87-3 in favor of the bill. Miguez was one of the three in opposition.
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A bill to bring Uber and Lyft ride sharing services to Alexandria and rural areas is close to final legislative passage. The proposal died in the Senate the last two years, but over the weekend the upper chamber aproved the measure 34-to-1. Alexandria Senator Jay Luneau (Lou-NO) says this legislation can help reduce drunk driving deaths among college students
The lone Senator to vote against the measure was Kenner Republican Danny Martiny, who questioned why Lyft and Uber would not be regulated by the Public Service Commission, which currently regulates taxi cabs
The bill enacts statewide regulations for ride-sharing services. Supporters say 44 other states have a statewide regulatory framework for Uber and Lyft to operate. Winnfield Senator Gerald Long says this is an important bill for central Louisiana…
The bill still needs House approval of changes made by the Senate, but that is expected to happen.
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LSU will play in a Super Regional series for a 14th time in program history as the Fighting Tigers won the Baton Rouge Regional last night with a six to four victory over Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles took a lead after trailing 3-0, but Coach Paul Mainieri’s team battled back to secure the victory…
Cut 16 (19) “…they were awesome”
LSU trailed 4-3 in the 7th inning, but re-took the lead on a Zach Watson two-run single. The bullpen did the rest. Trent Vietmeier was the winning pitcher as he threw two innings of scoreless relief…
A couple of weeks ago, there were some who doubted if LSU would host a Regional, let alone a Super Regional. But junior shortstop Josh Smith says some people forget LSU was ranked number one in the preseason…