10:30 LRN Newscast, April 1, 2016

According to AAA, quarterly gas prices are lower than they’ve been in over a decade, as the average price for a gallon of gas in the state is $1.88. Jeff Palermo has more…

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Several tax increases go into effect today in Louisiana that are expected to pump $300 million into the state economy by June 30. Consumers will now pay an additional one cent on the state sales tax, as well as higher taxes on cigarettes and alcohol.

Things are still moving slowly three weeks into the regular legislative session. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says legislators have raised various taxes like on alcohol and cigarettes but still haven’t raised enough revenue for the next fiscal year. He says anything that has to do with the budget will be a hot topic in the coming weeks before the session ends on June 6th.

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Pinsonat expects the voucher program along with teacher reforms to be big issues discussed during this session.

The Senate Transportation Committee passed a bill to make it legal to park on the wrong side of the road in residential areas. Metairie Senator Danny Martiny says uniformly parked cars look nicer, but it isn’t the government’s place to make sure everything looks pretty in your subdivision.

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