The Governor signs legislation that allows families to put cameras in their relative’s nursing home rooms. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
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The Senate has a lot to tackle Sunday, with critical decisions needed on a series of sales tax and budget bills. Don Molino has the story.
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Hurricane season has officially begun. The Bayou State may be relieved it has avoided tropical threat Alberto but the Spokesperson of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Mike Steele says now is the time to get a plan in place in case Louisiana is threatened by major hurricane …
Steele says if you don’t have flood insurance now is the time to get it and also take a look at your homeowners insurance …
Steele encourages residents to visit getagameplan.org to help you get an idea of what kind of items you need in a supply kit…
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Governor Edwards signed River Ridge Representative Kirk Talbot’s nursing home camera bill, as it breezed through the legislature. The law allows families to place remotely accessible cameras in their loved ones nursing home rooms for monitoring. Talbot says before you rush to grab that grandma cam, you need to talk to their roommate.
Talbot says the cameras these days aren’t too pricey, but he does warn you’ll have to buy a cellular data plan because you can’t hook it up to the nursing homes Wi-Fi.
The legislation was inspired by a nursing home incident where a family suspected that the staff was physically abusing their relative, but the River Ridge Republican says it’s not just to prevent abuse, it’s handy just for checking in to make sure your loved one is looking healthy and happy.
The law will go into effect after it is reviewed by the Department of Health.
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It’ll be a big day in the Senate Sunday as the upper chamber takes on sales tax and budget bills that could decide the fate of 648 million dollar fiscal cliff that threatens to wreck higher ed, TOPS, and healthcare. Political Analyst Bernie Pinsonat says the House won’t have much time to debate the budget and tax plans the Senate agrees too, with a Monday at midnight deadline approaching.
The big revenue raising bill would call for consumers to pay a 4.3 percent state sales tax after July 1st. But the House and Senate disagree on how many sales tax exemptions for businesses should be removed. The Senate version raises enough money to avoid cuts, while the House supports a version that generates 330 million dollars in revenue., about half of what is needed. Pinsonat says several GOP Representatives have already said they will not vote for the Senate version…
If the two chambers cannot agree on a budget and tax plan by 12PM Monday night, another special session will be called. Unlike this session, each day of the new session would cost the state tens of thousands of dollars, but Pinsonat says he’s optimistic a deal will be reached before the deadline.