Governor Edwards will be in New Jersey on Thursday for a meeting with President Donald Trump and a handful of other governors to discuss criminal justice reform. Edwards was successful in getting the legislature to support proposals to lower the incarceration rate and programs designed to reduce the recidivism rate. Edwards’ Deputy Chief of Staff, Richard Carbo, says the president is reaching out to a leader who knows how to craft bipartisan legislation…
cut 14 (11) “…broad spectrum”

Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Jones says he’s heard from Louisiana casino operators that they want to provide their players with a chance to offer sports betting. Jones says it will take legislative action…
cut 8 (08) “….in Louisiana” (2x)
Some legislators raised concerns about expanding gambling in Louisiana as a reason why sports betting was not approved in the last regular session

The state health department has fined five private companies that manage Medicaid health care plans a total of 250-thousand dollars for failing to provide accurate records of doctors, so that patients can make appointments and determine if a doctor is accepting new patients. Louisiana Medicaid Director Jen Steele says as part of their new agreements with Managed care organizations, the state is able to fine these companies if the error rates exceed 10-percent…
cut 12 (07) “…additional penalty”
Steele says failure to meet these minimum standards will result in continued monetary penalties.

Just in time for a new school year, the department of education has posted on its website back-to-school resources for parents and educators. Director of Family and Educator Communication, Annie Morrison…
cut 5 (11) “…our high school students”