House passed legislation to prohibit classroom discussion of sexual orientation and/or gender identity in public schools’ heads to the full Senate after Senate Education approved the bill. Critics refer to the legislation as Louisiana’s version of the “Don’t Say Gay Bill.” Bill author Haughton Representative Dodie Horton disagrees.
Cut 7 (09) “…conversations.”
But opponents like openly gay Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis says the bill is hateful and it tells children they aren’t accepted if they are different.
Cut 8 (09) “…the United States.”
The Senate Education Committee also sent a bill to the floor that would give school employees the right not to use alternate pronouns for children if it goes against their religious or moral convictions.

Louisiana has joined ten states in a lawsuit against FEMA over the federal agency’s Risk Rating 2.0 which is causing flood insurance premiums to go up substantially for homeowners in south Louisiana. State Solicitor General Liz Murrill says FEMA is not being transparent on how they came up with these new premiums…
cut 6 (09) “….the Federal Government”
FEMA says Risk Rating 2.0 rates are based on a home’s proximity to water, construction type and ground elevation.

Colorado State University hurricane researchers have increased their forecast slightly for this hurricane season, now calling for 15 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes. Researcher Angelie Nieves Jimenez says this is a difficult year to predict, as it’s rare for sea surface temperaturs to be this warm which is conducive to tropical storm formation, but an El Nino is also expected to develop which hinders storm development…
cut 16 (09) “…El Nino”