TOPS, criminal justice reform and raising the gas tax will be hot topics during the legislative session that begins today. Emelie Gunn has more…
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Homeowners affected by last year’s floods can now fill out a survey to see if they qualify for federal aid. Halen Doughty has more…
Cut 2 (28) “I’m Halen Doughty”
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A bill to raise the minimum age of strippers to 21 is back again for this legislative session. Jeff Palermo reports.
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TOPS, criminal justice reform and proposals to raise the gasoline tax are some of the big topics up for discussion as the legislative session begins today. There are bills filed that raise the minimum GPA to qualify for the TOPS scholarship. Political Analyst Bernie Pinsonat says this proposal will face fierce opposition from the legislative black caucus.
There’s also a push to raise the state’s gasoline tax, which is currently 20-cents. Supporters say a higher gas tax is needed for better roads. But Pinsonat says passing a tax hike is difficult. He says many lawmakers are concerned that the additional revenues will not go towards their intended purpose.
Governor John Bel Edwards is pushing for criminal justice reform as part of his legislative agenda. The governor is seeking to lower the state’s incarceration rate, which has been referred to as the highest in the world. Pinsonat says the concept is easier said than done.
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Even Democrats are unsure about the Governor John Bel Edwards ambitious tax plan that he’s asking lawmakers to pass during the legislative session. Edwards’ proposal calls for a new tax that would be placed on the state’s largest businesses. Minden Representative Gene Reynolds heads the state Democratic Caucus and says getting the necessary 70 votes in the House will be a challenge.
Reynolds expects it will take a lot of compromise to reach a majority consensus. A contentious point in the plan involves levying a gross receipts tax on businesses, which is basically a sales tax paid by sellers instead of buyers. He says many lawmakers are hesitant about the proposal.
Lawmakers won’t have another chance to revisit the state’s tax code until the next fiscal session in 2019. Reynolds says that means the time to act would be now. He says the only other option would be for lawmakers to come in for a constitutional convention.
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Flood impacted homeowners can now fill out a survey to see if they qualify for federal assistance. The Governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Julie Baxter Payer says this is a very important first step for homeowners who were affected by the March and August 2016 floods. She says they need to know what their recovery needs are now.
Cut 10 (06) “some reimbursement”
Payer says this 15 minute survey will give the state real time information to show Congress the ongoing need for flood recovery. She encourages all homeowners to fill out the survey, whether or not they think they will qualify for assistance.
Cut 11 (10) “becomes eligible”
Congress has approved 1.6 billion dollars in flood recovery dollars. Much of that money will be available to residents impacted by either of last year’s floods. Payer expects the federal government will make that money available in a couple of weeks. She says the federal aid will be doled out in phases, and families most in need of assistance will get help first.
The survey can be found online at restore.la.gov.
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A bill to raise the minimum age of strippers to 21 is back again for this legislative session. A similar measure passed last year but the law was recently temporarily blocked by a judge over broad wording. That’s why Lake Charles Representative Ronnie Johns says he’s trying again. He says the judge didn’t seem to have an issue with the age restriction aspect..
Johns says many victims who are brought into Louisiana end up working in strip clubs. He says the new bill is a clarification of the original goal of putting some type of a dent into the human trafficking trade…:
The law that was passed last year had wording that could have placed age restrictions on other occupations, according to the ruling, and violated the constitution. Johns says that’s why the new bill makes clear what he means by nudity and strip club…:
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Head coach Mark Hudspeth has named Jordan Davis his starting quarterback as the Ragin Cajuns have completed spring football. Davis was 11-of-14 for 174 yards and a touchdown in the Red-White Spring Game. Hudspeth says Davis looked sharp in the spring and has a great grasp of the offense…
The Cajuns will being the 2017 season by hosting Southeastern Louisiana. Hudspeth says he liked the development of his defensive backs during spring…
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Louisiana Tech also wrapped up spring practice over the weekend. Quarterback J’Mar Smith threw for over 300 yards and a touchdown. Bulldogs head coach Skip Holtz says Smith has the makings of a really dangerous quarterback for opponents…
A feel good moment for Louisiana Tech was return of Jaqws Dancy. He’s back on the field after being diagnosed of Hodgkin lymphoma in October. He had a 24-yard reception. Holtz says it was great to see Jaqwis back in pads…
The Bulldogs will open the season on Spetember 2nd at home against Northwestern State. Holtz says developing consistency will be the key when the team begins fall camp in August…