A Senate committee rejects a Housed backed bill that proposes to reduce the state’s sales tax rate from 4.45 percent to four-percent over a four-year period. Jeff Palermo has the story…
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There’s one week left in the legislative session. Kevin Barnhart looks at what lawmakers still need to get done…
cut 2 (27) I’m Kevin Barnhart”
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The Morganza Spillway opens on Sunday and there are concerns on how this will impact the crawfish industry. LSU AgCenter Aquaculture Professor Greg Lutz says some crawfish ponds in the Atchafalaya Basin will be impacted…
Cut 3 (10) “…from the crawfish.”
Lutz says for crawfish farmers in the Atchafalaya Basin area, it could mean bad news if water spills over their levees.
Farmers will not be able to fix the problem of trash fish and replenish their crawfish population until the water goes down, which means some farmers could be out of production for a season.
Lutz says while the industry will feel impact, with some farmers feeling it worse than others, he says the crawfish population should be okay after the flooding.
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An effort to reduce the state sales tax from 4.45 percent to four-percent over a four-year period died in a Senate Committee. Lawmakers settled on a 4.45 percent sales tax rate last year as part of a budget deal to avoid significant cuts. Lafayette Senator Gerald Boudreaux says it’s too soon to change a tax deal that stabilized the budget…
Alexandria Representative Lance Harris authored the House-backed measure. Harris argues the state is running a surplus of tax revenue and should give that money back. But Gonzales Representative Eddie Lambert says the state needs these tax revenues, especially for roads…
New Orleans Senator Karen Carter Peterson says residents are expecting the state to pay for a variety of things and the tax deal approved last year, helps the government fund those wishes…
Cut 8 (14) “…their prisoners.”
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An East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s deputy is dead following a single vehicle crash in Zachary around 6:30 this morning. 42-year-old Lt. Steven Whitstine was on his way to work when his car veered off of Pride Port Hudson Road. Sheriff Sid Gautreaux says the accident is still under investigation.
Whitstine worked with the K-9 division and had spent eight years with the Sheriff’s Department and more than nine years with Baker Police prior to that.
Gautreaux says he will be sorely missed by many.
Cut 10 (10) “…the Sheriff’s office.”
Gauthreaux says he worked with Whitstine for many years and has fond memories of the man behind the badge.
Cut 11 (11) “…than he impersonated.”
Whitstine’s K-9 partner, Sixx, was also in the vehicle at the time of the crash and is being treated for minor injuries.
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A Senate approved resolution that contains a 1,000-dollar teacher pay raise and an additional 39 million dollars for public education passes through the House Education Committee. But House Appropriations Chairman Cameron Henry wonders if the state can afford both the pay raise and additional money for schools…
The resolution includes a 500 dollar support personnel raise.
The Senate says the state has the money to afford the 39-million-dollar block grant, but Henry says that will be confirmed when the proposal moves next to the House Appropriations Committee.
BESE President Dr. Gary Jones revealed that the 39 million could be used by local school districts to further increase teacher pay if a poorer school district prioritizes that over classroom investment.
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