26 million dollars in duplicate state tax refunds were sent out on Tuesday, and the state is scrambling to get the cash back. Matt Doyle has the story.
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Could the death penalty be abolished in Louisiana? If a bill being introduced by a Baton Rouge Republican gets signed into law that could be the case. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 2 (28) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”
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26 million dollars in duplicate state tax refunds were electronically sent out to 66,700 Louisianans on Tuesday, March 12th as a result of a computer malfunction. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says if you got a duplicate return, don’t spend it.
Dardenne says at this point they still aren’t sure exactly what caused the malfunction that triggered the duplicate returns, but they’ve put some changes in place that should catch it before it can happen again.
If you’ve already spent some of that money, Dardenne says you need to know that you won’t get to keep it. He says the state will be recouping every erroneous dollar that was sent out, and If you’ve already blown through some of that money…
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A bill to abolish the death penalty in Louisiana will soon be filed as the debate about capital punishment continues on the national level. Baton Rouge Senator Dan Claitor says believes the death penalty cheapens life in society, adding there are errors that occur, as well as a list of other issues.
Cut 6 (08) “…that it’s immoral.”
Claitor, a Republican from Baton Rouge, is working with Rep. Terry Landry, a Democrat from Acadiana on pushing the bill forward. Claitor says victims’ families will get to be a part of the discussion as the bill is pushed forward.
Claitor says if this bill passes, it will not affect the over 70 people currently on death row in Louisiana.
Cut 8 (09) “…forward looking bill.”
This is not the first time this legislation has been introduced, but Claitor says he’ll keep trying even if not successful in this session.
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12 US Senate Republicans voted against the President’s national emergency declaration that would allow him to access billions in construction dollars to build additional physical border wall. Senator John Kennedy was not among the 12, and says history shows the President’s move is quite legal.
The final tally in the Senate was 59-41.
The 12 Republican Senators voiced concerns about executive overreach, and the potential for the declaration to be a template for future Democratic presidents. Kennedy says he sympathizes with that concern.
Most of the Republicans who voted against the declaration, like Marco Rubio, Susan Collins, and newly elected Mitt Romney, are considered to be from the center-right of the party.
The Senator says he shares his colleagues concern about the power of the executive branch, but says that not what this vote was supposed to be about. Kennedy predicts this incident will inspire an effort to prevent future similar uses of national emergencies.
The President issued his first veto overruling the Congressional action, and it appears highly likely that veto will be overturned as Congress would need a 2/3rds vote to overturn it.
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A Department of Corrections investigation has resulted in multiple arrests and resignations at Angola since the investigation began last Friday. Department spokesperson Ken Pastorick says the accused employees are facing a wide ran allegations.
Cut 12 (11) “…into the facility.”
Of those involved in the investigation, six were sergeants and one was a nurse. Pastorick says more arrests are expected as the investigation continues.
Cut 13 (07) “…with charges pending.”
Pastorick says the department will continue to crack down on those who choose to betray the public’s trust.
Cut 14 (09) “…our public safe.”
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The LSU Tigers stay in the SEC Tournament didn’t last long as Florida nailed a three-pointer in the last second to upset the Bayou Bengals 76-73. LSU led for most of the game, until interim head coach Tony Benford was hit with a technical foul with 3:45 left in regulation as he questioned whether a three-pointer by Florida should have counted….