An 11-year-old boy is facing a juvenile life sentence following the shooting death of his 9-year-old brother. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”
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A Senate committee has killed a bill that sought to help the state carry out lethal injections. Jeff Palermo has the story…
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Senate Finance has approved a spending plan for next fiscal year that contains a one-thousand dollar teacher pay raise and 39-million dollars in block grant funding for school districts. The House budget proposal calls for a higher pay raise for teachers, but no additional dollars for public schools. Council for a Better Louisiana President Barry Erwin says lawmakers have until June 6th to agree on a budget
Multiple special sessions were needed last year to pass a budget. Erwin expects the legislature can get its work done this time before the regular session concludes…
Erwin says election year politics is playing a role in the dispute over education funding…
Cut 5 (11) “…teacher pay raise”
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An 11-year-old boy has been charged with negligent homicide following the shooting death of his 9-year-old brother in a Baton Rouge home on Saturday. Authorities believe the shooting was unintentional. Legal analyst Franz Borghardt says the complexities of the case raise more questions on if the charge will stick.
Borghardt says the child will be tried in the juvenile system and he could be released to his parents without making a bond or he could receive a juvenile life sentence, meaning he would be detained up until he turns 18.
Cut 7 (07) “…becomes an adult.”
The investigation continues into the shooting and the parents are not facing charges. Borghardt says without facts and data in place, it is a difficult call on how to charge the parents.
Cut 8 (09) “…directly or indirectly.”
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A fatal blow was delivered to a pro death penalty bill at the State Capitol today. A proposal to shield the identity of the drug companies that supply lethal drugs for the state to carry out death penalty sentences failed on a 3-2 vote in Senate committee. New Orleans Senator J-P Morrell says the legislation opens the state to lawsuits, if an execution is botched
Several came to the meeting to speak out against the proposal. Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops executive director Rob Tasman
The last execution held in Louisiana was in 2010. The state corrections department says they can’t purchase drugs to carry out a lethal injection, because drug manufacturers do not want to be associated with killing people. But New Orleans Senator Karen Carter Peterson says offering confidentiality is not the way to go…
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The House Appropriations Committee rejects a proposal to legalize sports betting, after the bill got swamped with special interest amendments. Video poker, horse breeders, software producers, and others wanted a piece of the gaming pie. The bill’s author, Metairie Senator Danny Martiny questioned whether the additions are in good faith.
The bill originally only called for sports betting at racetracks, riverboat casinos, and Harrah’s Casino in New Orleans, but an amendment was added to allow for the activity at the state’s thousands of video poker facilities.
Louisiana Casino Association Executive Director Wade Duty initially supported the legislation, but says the proposal got so laden down with pork and new taxes even his industry couldn’t back it anymore…
It wasn’t just special business interests who fought the bill. Louisiana Baptist Convention Director for Office of Public Policy Dr. Will Hall spoke in opposition…