The Senate passed a bill 22-14 that would allow riverboat casinos to expand their operations on land. Louisiana is the only state that requires floating gambling halls to keep all gaming operations on water.
Opponets argue that an expansion of gaming would lead to more gambling addiction, but Metairie Senator Danny Martiny says gamblers will find a way to get their fix whether we legislate against it or not.
The bill moves to the House.
The switch to make Louisiana juries come to unanimous decisions will face a tough test in the House Criminal Justice committee today. Currently only 10 out of twelve jurors have to agree if someone is guilty of a crime. A proposed constitutional amendment seeks to make all felony convictions unanimous. Christie Smith is the legislative liaison for the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys says if you compare Texas and Mississippi they both are getting their share of convictions with a standard of unanimous juries.
That House committee is made up of 10 Republicans, 8 Democrats, 1 independent.
A teachers strike in Kentucky that led to increased funding for schools and higher pay is inspiring educator walkouts and work stoppages across the south. Louisiana Federation of Teachers is now polling its members to see what actions they would favor to address quality of life for teachers and students. LFT spokesperson Les Landon says they’ve already polled around 3,000 members, and will release a report in mid to late May with the results.
A 15 week abortion ban passes the Senate on a 31-3 vote. The bill mirrors a Mississippi law recently passed that has been halted by a federal judge. Shreveport Senator and Democrat John Milkovich says he’s well aware his potential law will lead to an expensive court battle, but it’s a price he’s willing to pay.