A federal judge in Baton Rouge has been asked to issue an order that would prevent inmates at Angola from working on the prison farm when heat indices reach 88 degrees or higher. Sean Richardson has more.
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Governor Jeff Landry vetoed House Bill 423 which sought to limit damages a jury can award to victims in auto accidents. Jeff Palermo reports it has resulted in Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple is asking for a special session to address the state’s insurance crisis. .
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A federal judge is considering whether to issue a preliminary injunction that would block Farm Line operations at Angola Prison when the heat index reaches or exceeds 88 degrees. Director of Civil Litigation at the Promise of Justice Initiative Lydia Wright…
Plaintiff Ronald Marshall says the brutality of the Angola Farm Line isn’t a secret and refusing to work would result in solitary confinement.
The state Department of Corrections says the work conducted on the Farm Line is in accordance with constitutional and industrial standards and policies are in place to make sure the inmates are safe.
Those policies include providing rest and water breaks every 30 minutes once a heat alert is issued. The D-O-C maintains this policy and the operation of the Farm Line, is constitutionally appropriate.
But Wright says Angola inmates should not be forced to work on the farm during hot summer months.
According to the filing, the officers who oversee the Farm Line used to ride horses, but no longer do. Prisoners contend that the practice was ended in order to protect the horses from the “blistering” heat.
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A group called Charge Ahead Partnership has yet to access 73-million dollars in federal funds that businesses could apply for to build electric vehicle charging stations. Ryan McKinnon is with Charge Ahead Partnership….
But Louisiana Department of Transportation spokesperson Rodney Mallett says the state has not received the 73-million dollars yet and there’s no deadline to spend the money. Mallett says the rules for this federal grant program also do not match their usual contracting methods, so there are few more hoops to jump through.
McKinnon says the program is intended to help small businesses get into the EV charging business, so he hopes the funds will get utilized soon…
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The Biden Administration has set a goal of 500-thousand charging stations by 2026.
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After Governor Jeff Landry vetoed the Collateral Source reform bill, Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple calls on the governor and legislative leaders to hold a special session to address the state’s high auto insurance premiums. Temple says legislation is needed to improve the legal climate…
Landry vetoed House Bill 423 which supporters say would limit the amount juries can award to car crash victims, but the governor said the reform proposal would result in accident victims not getting what they deserved.
Temple says Governor Landry’s leadership was vital to the property insurance reform achieved in the regular session and he looks forward to working him on legal reform as well…
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Temple says the Collateral Source rule needs to be reformed because current law is allowing for amounts that go way above medical costs from a wreck…