A bill to reduce a minor’s access to pornography on the internet passes in House Civil Law. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
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College tuition continues to rise, but a new study by Tulane University says some students have actually seen their costs go down. David Grubb has more.
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A bill to require pornography sites to verify one’s age as a way to prevent minors from accessing their material passes in House Civil Law. Bill author, Metairie Representative, and licensed Sex Therapist Laurie Schlegel says children’s exposure to pornography is a growing concern.
President of the Louisiana Family Forum Gene Mills spoke in support of the legislation to require commercial entities that publish material harmful to minors to place reasonable methods to verify the age of those attempting to access their site.
Cut 4 (11) “…child’s development.”
House Bill 142 requires such entities to verify one’s age and only allow access for individuals 18 and older. Schlegel, who understands the damage of pornography in her profession as a Sex Therapist says it’s imperative, that we reduce access for minors.
Cut 5 (11) “…government interest.”
The bill now heads to the House floor.
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The House Appropriations Committee approved a spending plan today for next fiscal year that contains 15-hundred dollar pay raises for teachers and 750-dollars for support staff. Chairman Jerome Zeringue of Houma says if this latest raise makes it through the legislative process, teachers would see their salary go up 33-hundred dollars over the last four years
The budget bill also calls for using 500-million dollars in federal pandemic aid to help replenish the state’s unemployment trust fund. Another 450-million dollar would be allocated to water systems.
The proposed budget for next year does not contain a 100-dollar increase in supplemental pay for local police and firefighters, despite a recommendation from Governor John Bel Edwards. Zeringue says Louisiana is the only state to provide a salary supplement for local police and firefighters…
There’s also a disagreement between the Edwards administration and House Republicans over funding for a new Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge. The governor is proposing to put 500-million dollars towards the construction of a new I-10 bridge that could cost two-point-five billion dollars. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne makes the case why this money is needed now…
Cut 8 (11) “…infrastructure act.”
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Tuition at public universities has skyrocketed, with an increase of about 200 percent since the 1980s. However, a new study released by Tulane University and co-authored by assistant economic professor Emily Cook, says that while high and upper-middle-income families are taking a hit, more financial aid is finding its way to low and middle-income students.
Cut 9 (10) “…certain income groups.”
Cook says there haven’t been any significant changes in state or federal aid guidelines, so the driver has been a shift in mindset by institutions as they work to attract more students to campus.
Cut 10 (12) “…higher-income students.”
Unfortunately, there is still a gap where the funding isn’t always getting to the students it’s intended for. Cook says that there has to be greater awareness of what resources are available to families and what the real cost of education is for students seeking need-based aid.
Cut 11 (10) “…a concern there.”
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A single-vehicle crash in Rapides Parish Sunday afternoon claims the life of a nine-year-old passenger. Master Trooper Casey Wallace says it appears 30-year-old Angela Jacobs of Marksville lost control of her SUV along Highway 1, just a mile south of Highway 3170. He says one of the four juveniles in the SUV was transferred to a local hospital.
Wallace says Jacobs was returning home when the accident happened after passing another vehicle along the two-lane highway.
Wallace says impairment is not suspected but the crash remains under investigation. He says the driver and all four juvenile passengers were wearing seatbelts.