To convince the legislature to pass a bill that requires unanimous jury verdicts was considered a long shot in March. Now as Jim Shannon reports the measure is one vote away from becoming law.
______________________________________________
State leaders are locked in combat over the Governor’s decision to mail a cancellation warning to 37,000 Medicaid recipients. Jeff Palermo has more.
Cut 3 (08) “tremendous momentum”
Louisiana is just one of two states that do not require unanimous verdicts.
The last hurdle will be to convince voters to approve the amendment when it come up for a vote in November.
_________________________________________________________
The Governor’s administration and GOP legislators continue to exchange barbs over the decision to mail program cancellation warnings to 37,000 Medicaid patients. Lafayette Representative, Republican Nancy Landry, blamed the Medicaid budget cuts on John Bel Edwards.
Landry, who voted for the House budget that slashed healthcare spending, says the letters were completely unwarranted as the budget process is not yet finished.
But the Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne pushed back, arguing that the feds require Medicaid recipients to be informed of program cancellations ahead of time, so that they can try to find other programs to qualify for.
Dardenne says with a real threat from House lawmakers to cut these programs, it would have been wrong to wait any longer.
A special session that could replace the expiring revenue at the heart of these budget cuts is set to be called next Tuesday.
_______________________________________
One of Angola’s most restrictive housing units, Camp J, has been closed due to the facilities crumbling infrastructure. The cells at Camp J were used to house inmates in solitary for 23 hours a day. Department of Corrections Secretary James LeBlanc says the camp was no longer safe for use.
LeBlanc says some of the inmates have been moved to Hunt and Wade Correctional Facilities, but for the most part….
LeBlanc says the decision is in part due to new standards that were adopted as a result of Angola partnering with Vera, an African American criminal justice reform organization, and the American Correctional Association. Leblanc:
Camp J housed 400 inmates at it’s peak.
_______________________________________________________
It is the middle of May, but we are seeing temperatures in the mid-nineties. Michael Hill of the National Weather Service in New Orleans says yesterday’s temperatures were the highest we’ve seen for this time of the year…
Hill says that temperatures will remain high until typical summer rain patterns begin…
Cut 14 (12) “warm temperatures”
As temperatures reach record highs, Hill explains why we are experiencing warm temperatures so early…
____________________