18 years after the towers fell, the House Judiciary Committee passes legislation guaranteeing first responders who got sick working in the aftermath healthcare funding. Matt Doyle has the story.
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The Shreveport City Council has repealed its 2007 ordinance that bans the wearing of saggy pants after critics say it led to racially motivated enforcement. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
cut 2 (31) I’m Kevin Barnhart”
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The House Judiciary Committee passes legislation permanently authorizing healthcare funds for 9/11 first responders who suffer health effects from the attack. Congressman Mike Johnson sits on the panel and says while the first responders fund has been well managed, it was time to guarantee their benefits long term.
Johnson says the hearing was the most emotional he’s ever sat through, and it brought up memories of his own firefighter father who was permanently disabled from a critical burn. He says the hearing was full of similarly tragic stories…
The issue grabbed national headlines after a fiery speech at a subcommittee hearing yesterday by comedian Jon Stewart, who blasted lawmakers for poor attendance as sick first responders testified, but Johnson says there was one issue…
The Washington Post reports only two of the members were not present for the hearing.
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The Shreveport city council votes 6-1 to abolish a 2007 ordinance banning people from wearing pants below their waistlines. ACLU Louisiana Legal Director Katie Schwartzmann says the law is has proven to be racially motivated, adding the government having to the ability to dictate clothing choices is a violation of rights.
Police data shows the ordinance resulted in the arrest of 699 black men and 12 white men, although it is unclear if anyone was arrested for the violation alone. Schwartzmann says the law could lead to a police interaction that might not end well.
The lone vote to keep the law in place came from Councilman James Flurry who says he decided on the vote after hearing feedback from constituents.
Flurry says he believes the law was put into place, not as an excuse to target a particular population, but to regulate decency standards for fashion. He adds he believes his own fashion is regulated and has no issue with the public’s expectations.
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Friday marks the two year anniversary of when Congressman Steve Scalise and three others were shot during a practice for the annual Congressional Baseball Game. Scalise welcomed U-S Capitol Police officer Crystal Griner to today’s practice for this year’s charity baseball game to thank the special agent for her bravery…
Griner was also shot, but she’s credited with stopping the shooter, James Hodgkinson. Scalise says the Capitol Police were the epitome of what’s great about law enforcement…
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The 21-year-old man accused of setting fire to three historically black churches in St. Landry Parish now faces federal hate crime charges. U-S Attorney David Joseph says attacks against a group because of their religious briefs will not be tolerated. Legal analyst Tim Meche expects the feds will be the first to prosecute Holden Matthews
Cut 12 (10) “…that fatal crash.”
Matthews is facing multiple federal charges, three counts using fire to commit a felony and three counts of intentional damage to religious property. Meche says the US Attorney’s office can put a lot of resources into this case
Matthews is currently being held in jail without bond as he faces several state charges that include simple arson, aggravated arson and three counts of hate crimes. Meche says if Matthews is found guilty, he’ll receive a substantial prison sentence whether it’s in state or federal court