The Louisiana State Police Academy graduates 46 men and women today who are now full-fledged State Troopers. Emelie Gunn has more…
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Raising the minimum wage and closing the gender wage gap will be big issues for Governor John Bel Edwards in the regular session. Jeff Palermo has more…
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Business leaders support a higher gas tax if they know how the dollars are being spent. Halen Doughty has more on the coalition that will be known as Build It…
Cut 3 (29) “I’m Halen Doughty”
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46 men and women graduate this morning from the Louisiana State Police Training Academy. This is L-S-P’s 95th Cadet Class. Sgt. Jared Sandifer says they lost about 20 cadets during training, but the ones who made it through the vigorous 22-week training program are the state’s best and the brightest.
During the ceremony, cadets will receive their golden Louisiana badge, but their training isn’t over just yet. Sandifer says they will team up with a senior trooper to learn more about profession…
Sandifer says the 46 new troopers will be spread out across the state.
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Governor John Bel Edwards testifies before a Congressional panel today looking at FEMA’s response to the deadly flooding last August in south Louisiana. The Governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Julie Baxter Payer says Edwards will be accompanied by local officials who can also testify on the roadblocks to recovery.
Payer says the state faced challenges in administering every federally funded program, from FEMA manufactured homes to the new Shelter At Home program. She says the governor will discuss improvements that can be made to make the recovery process shorter and homeowner friendly.
Payer says the governor will also use this trip as an opportunity to urge federal leaders to allocate more money for Louisiana’s flood recovery. She says we’re far short of the money needed to help the 193-thousand families impacted by the two devastating floods in 2016.
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Business leaders in Louisiana are coming together to support the passage of a higher gas tax. The new coalition is called Businesses United for Improving Louisiana’s Development by Investing in Transportation. Baton Rouge Area Chamber President Adam Knapp says BUILD IT will back proposals to increase the state’s gasoline tax to fund highway construction.
Knapp says it is imperative revenue is raised this session, because the state might not have another chance to up the gas tax until the fiscal session in 2021. The state has a $13 billion backlog of transportation needs, and more than $10 billion in megaprojects needed. More than 20 organizations have joined BUILD IT, including One Acadiana and its president Jason El Koubi.
El Koubi adds Louisiana ranks in the bottom five for every measure of road conditions. Knapp says an LSU survey shows there’s bipartisan support for a gas tax increase, with 61 percent of respondents supporting a 15 cent increase. He says they are issuing a call to action to business leaders.
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Governor John Bel Edwards is once again asking lawmakers to increase the state’s minimum wage and guarantee equal pay for equal work. Both measures failed in last year’s session. Political analyst Clancy Dubos says raising the minimum wage is never easy.
Edwards says he supports a Senate bill that raises the minimum wage to $8.50 over a two year period. The Louisiana Workforce Commission says the minimum wage has not been increased since 2009. Fellow political analyst Bernie Pinsonat he doesn’t foresee these bills getting any more traction this year than they have in the past.
The governor says Louisiana has the highest gender wage gap in the country, but Pinsonat says the equal pay bill has even less of a chance than raising the minimum wage. He says business groups have historically opposed these measures because provisions in the bills allow people to sue their employers over pay inequity.
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It’s Pro Day at LSU, a chance for every professional football franchise to get a look at the former Tigers eligible for next month’s NFL draft. Each player will be measured, perform a bench press drill and timed in various running drills. Some mock drafts have running back Leonard Fournette’s stock falling, but NFL analyst Mike Detillier doesn’t see it…
Detillier says safety Jamal Adams is also expected to be a top eight pick. He says putting up good numbers is not essential for Adams and Fournette, but other players who will be selected in the later rounds like wide receiver Malachi Dupre…
Detillier says today’s pro day is also big for defensive lineman Davon Godchaux as NFL teams are looking to see more upper body strength from him…