Today the Senate Labor Committee takes up a proposal to increase the state’s minimum wage. Jeff Palermo has more…
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Governor John Bel Edwards has issues with a House approved bill that would require a vote to remove a military monument. Emelie Gunn has more…
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A Homer teenager has turned himself in to police after allegedly setting a dog on fire. Halen Doughty has more…
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New Orleans Senator Troy Carter hopes legislation to increase the state’s minimum wage will get more support this year than in years past. Today, the Senate Labor Committee takes up Carter’s bill, which would raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50 an hour over two years.
Carter says this modest increase could be huge for families trying to make ends meet. He calls it a fairness bill, because working people deserve an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work. He notes the cost of everything else is going up, but wages are not.
West Monroe Senator Mike Walsworth is concerned about job losses, if the state raised the minimum wage, because some businesses can’t afford to pay higher wages. He adds that a minimum wage and a living wage are two different things.
Ruston Representative Rob Shadoin says he would be hesitant to support such an increase, because he represents a lot of small business owners. He says this much of an increase would hurt a lot of small businesses.
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Governor John Bel Edwards says a bill that seeks to protect Confederate Monuments from being removed, as divisive and generating animosity among legislators. The measure passed the House on Monday. Black lawmakers staunchly oppose the proposal and the governor took notice of the passion that this legislation brought out during the debate.
The bill filed by Shreveport Representative Thomas Carmody requires voter approval before local government can remove a military monument. Edwards says requiring a vote for any statue to be removed causes many problems. He says the master plan at LSU has the Troy Middleton Library being replaced…
Edwards says the Confederate Monuments represent historical figures and there is a certain place for them, which should depend on the will of the people. He says if removed from their original location, the statutes should be moved to a museum where they can teach people.
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Governor John Bel Edwards announces an agreement on a criminal justice reform package that seeks to lower the state’s highest-in-the nation incarceration rate. Edwards says the plan will reduce the state’s prison population over the next decade by 10-percent.
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Edwards says these reforms will also save the state $260 million over the next decade and much of the savings will be used on programs to reduce the recidivism rate. Louisiana District Attorneys Association Executive Director Pete Adams says they support the legislation, because it gives judges alternatives to prison for non-violent offenders.
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The state senate approved major provisions of the reform package on Tuesday. New Orleans Representative Walt Leger will now look to get the lower chamber to agree with the bills that will give Louisiana major sentencing reform for individuals convicted of drug and property crimes.
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A 17-year-old is facing a serious charge after police say he set a dog on fire. Claiborne Sheriff Ken Bailey says Carzavian Willis of Homer doused a Yorkie in gasoline, causing severe burns on 80 percent of her body.
Willis turned himself in to police Monday evening. Bailey says their investigation was complicated by finger pointing among several juveniles who may have been involved. He says they are confident about Willis’ role, but more arrests could be made as this case unfolds.
Bailey says they’re not sure who owned the dog. Willis is charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, which is a felony that carries a sentence up to 10 years. The suspect has been released on a $15,000 bond. Bailey says this teenager clearly needs to be behind bars.