Legislation to set minimum bail amounts for crimes of violence and or the use of a firearm advances from House Criminal Justice. Brooke Thorington has more.
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After a catastrophic computer systems failure, the state Office of Motor Vehicles remains closed statewide today. More from Kevin Gallagher…:
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Legislation that would require public schools statewide to schedule at least 15 minutes of supervised, unstructured free play time of recess for grades kindergarten through fifth was approved by the House in a 66 to 28 vote. Houma Representative Beryl Amedee says under this legislation no special accommodations are required.
A recent study finds 89 percent of schools in Louisiana currently have recess and 56 percent offer more than 15 minutes of recess for students according to The Status of Health and Physical Education in Louisiana Public. Amedee says the numbers are encouraging, however…
The bill would allow recess not to be counted toward the minimum of 360 instructional minutes required each school day. Amedee says recess time would be beneficial for their social and emotional well-being.
The bill heads to the Senate.
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Legislation to set minimum bail amounts for crimes of violence and or the use of a firearm advances from House Criminal Justice. Crowley Representative John Stefanski’s bill would set a minimum bail of $50,000 for a violent crime and $100,000 for one that involves the use of a firearm.
Michael Calhoun with the Promise of Justice Initiative spoke in opposition to the bill. He says it’s often family members of the accused who have to pay the bond or place their homes or assets at risk so the accused can prepare for trial.
Stefanski says the majority of the time Judges set bonds accordingly, but this is his attempt to make Louisiana safer.
The bill passed favorably in committee heads to the House floor.
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Louisiana ranks the fourth unhealthiest state for adults 65 and older for the second year according to the United Health Foundation’s 11th America’s Health Rankings Senior Report. Chief Medical Officer for the Medicare and Retirement Division Dr. Phillip Painter says there are a number of challenges that weigh against seniors living in the Bayou State.
The report covers 52 measures providing insights into many of the strengths and areas of improvement in the health of seniors nationally and state-wide. Poverty among seniors statewide rose by 14 percent from 12 percent to 14 percent between 2018 – 2021. Painter says additional funding from the local government could help raise the state ranking.
Access to healthcare, physical environment, social and economic factors, and healthy behaviors play a vital role in the ranking. Painter says there’s still hope for improvement for Louisiana seniors.
Louisiana falls below Mississippi which is the unhealthiest state in the nation.
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A bill to ban social media platforms from allowing minors to have their own account without parental consent passed in the Senate but it would only go into effect if funds are allocated for enforcement. Bill author, Covington Senator Patrick McMath…
Minors in the bill are defined as ages 15 and younger.
If enacted, McMath says the Attorney General’s Office would be tasked with investigating and enforcing Senate Bill 162, and…
McMath says Utah and Arkansas have passed similar legislation and so far it appears that some of the larger social media outlets are agreeable to such changes.
The Senate passed the bill on a 37-0 vote and it advances to the lower chamber.