It’s Air Quality Awareness month, and the Department of Environmental Quality has announced that the air quality in Louisiana is better than it’s been since the 1800s. Halen Doughty has more…
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”
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Governor John Bel Edwards is touring the state with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals, Dr. Rebekah Gee to raise awareness about Medicaid expansion. Don Molino has more…
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Legislation that could result in TOPS students no longer having their entire tuition paid for has been approved by the House and heads to the governor for his signature. Jeff Palermo has the story…
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May is Air Quality Awareness month, and the Department of Environmental Quality says Louisiana’s air quality is better than it’s been since the start of the Industrial Revolution. DEQ senior scientist Vivian Aucoin says that’s because they have improved the quality of the air in parts of the state where it was lacking.
cut 4 (08) “quality standards”
Aucoin says everybody is doing their part to reduce pollution or unhealthy air, even major industrial facilities. She says environmental agencies have done well to enforce higher air quality standards.
But Director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, Anne Rolfes, doesn’t think Louisiana’s air is any cleaner. She says the state does a poor job of monitoring the air in areas where it’s the worst.
Rolfes says in neighborhoods near oil refineries and other plants, the air just stinks, literally. She says her organization works with the EPA to get air quality readings in those areas, and their information shows the air is not any cleaner.
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Governor John Bel Edwards has kicked off his statewide tour to discuss Medicaid expansion. Over the next month, Edwards and Secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals, Dr. Rebekah Gee, will visit cities to raise awareness and answer questions about who will be eligible to enroll for the government health insurance on June 1st. Edwards also announced that the state’s health program has a new name.
State health officials say the expanded Medicaid program will be able to cover an estimated 350,000 working poor individuals. Edwards says he wants to make sure that the people of Louisiana have all the information they need when it comes to Medicaid expansion before enrollment begins.
Edwards and Gee emphasized the importance of the new website healthy-dot-la-dot-gov, which provides information about the Medicaid expansion. Gee says people should understand their healthcare options, so they can choose the plan that’s best for them.
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The Senate has approved legislation that would send 17-year-old non-violent offenders through the juvenile court system, instead of adult court. The measure was approved on a 33-4 vote. New Orleans Senator JP Morrell says 17-year-olds who are convicted of crimes would be better off if they didn’t go to adult jail.
cut 11 (08) “hardened criminal”
Morrell says violent offenders will still be able to be charged as adults, but under the current law, even those who commit minor offenses are required to be charged as adults.
Morrell says 17-year-olds aren’t allowed to vote, sign a contract, or join the military. He says these offenders are not adults, and they don’t belong in the adult court system.
The bill, which is supported by Governor Edwards, heads to the House for more discussion.
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Legislation is heading to the governor’s desk that curbs the cost of the TOPS scholarship program, but it will likely mean recipients will have to pay a portion of their tuition. Lafayette Representative Nancy Landry says the measure freezes the value of the scholarship and it doesn’t go up, even if tuition rises…
The measure passed on a 74-20 vote and heads to the governor’s desk, where he is expected to sign it. Amite Representative Robby Carter has concerns about telling TOPS students that their tuition will no longer be fully paid for…
Cut 15 (12) “when they started”
The taxpayer funded scholarship program costs the state nearly 300-million dollars and Landry says the legislature must do something to rein in its costs…