The House Governmental Affairs Committee rejects legislation that would have prohibited state-funded facilities from denying access to individuals who are not vaccinated against COVID-19. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 1 (32) “ …I’m Jeff Palermo”
____________________________________
House Education Chairman Ray Garofalo, whose comments about slavery earlier this month ignited a controversy, says the House Speaker threatened to have him removed from the Capitol this morning if he tried to chair today’s meeting. Matt Doyle has more.
________________________________________
The House Governmental Affairs Committee rejects a Senate-approved bill that would prohibit state facilities from denying entry to individuals who are not vaccinated against COVID-19. Harvey Representative Rodney Lyons says the legislature should not prevent a public building like the State Capitol from only allowing vaccinated persons inside
Cut 3 (07) “…circumvent that.”
Monroe Senator Stewart Cathey’s bill died on a seven to six vote. Cathey says he’s trying to protect individuals who have made the personal decision not to get the vaccine
Cathey admitted to the committee he has not received the vaccine over concerns the shot will impact the ability for him and his girlfriend to have a child.
Health officials have said there is no evidence that any vaccine affects fertility.
Jennifer Herricks of Mandeville testified for the bill. She’s concerned about her children getting the virus and would like to send them to a school where everyone is vaccinated
While this bill was killed, a similar bill by Gonzales Representative Kathy Edmonston has already passed the House and awaits a Senate hearing.
____________________________________
Governor Edwards says video of the Ronald Greene arrest shows State Police troopers acting unprofessionally and not conducting themselves as law enforcement officers should.
Edwards first saw the footage last October while viewing it with the Greene family. He called it disturbing then…
Greene died in police custody in 2019 after being severely beaten and tased by State Police troopers following a car chase in Union Parish. Immediately after Greene’s death the first report to come out of State Police claimed Greene died in the car crash following the chase.
Edwards says the footage is being reviewed by the Union Parish DA and the US Department of Justice for a reason.
Edwards says Greene’s death has led to policy changes.
____________________________
The ongoing controversy involving House Education Chairman Ray Garofalo, whose comments about slavery ignited a firestorm, results in today’s meeting of his committee being called off.
Garofalo says this morning Speaker Clay Schexnayder told him he was still Chairman, but when he told Shexnayder he was going to chair today’s meeting, Schexnayder said no you’re not.
Garofalo’s comments earlier this month in committee calling for the teaching of “the good, the bad, the ugly” of slavery during a tense debate about education policy resulted in calls from the Legislative Black Caucus for Garofalo to be removed as chairman. Garofalo says his words have been taken “out of context” and he has nothing to apologize for.
Garofalo says the discussion with Shexnayder took a turn after he said he would sit as chair…
When asked by a reporter if the “heated” meeting with Shexnayder got physical Garofalo declined to comment.
The committee meeting was called off after 45 minutes when only one member showed up, delaying discussion of legislation that would allow student-athletes to collect paid endorsements…
The committee is scheduled to meet again next Wednesday, June 2nd, but the session is scheduled to end on June 10th.
____________________________________________
An E Pluribus Unum survey finds a majority of southerners support major police reform and believe not enough has changed since the murder of George Floyd. EPU Founder and former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu says the annual survey of 1,200 indicate common ground that Floyd was wrongly killed and broad support of police reform being negotiated in Congress and locally.
The survey tracks attitudes on systemic racism in policing and police reforms in the South. It included 400 Black, 400 Latino, and 400 white respondents. Landrieu says the survey also highlighted major support of police officers stepping in when other officers use excessive force.
Landrieu says responses from the annual survey surprised him this year because of common ground belief in police reform when before it was split along racial lines. He says the murder of George Floyd magnified the issue.
The survey also found broad support for police officers and departments to carry liability insurance so taxpayers do not have to pay for settlements when officers are found guilty of misconduct.