Matt Doyle spoke to The National Federation of Independent Business, who says not lowering the jury trial threshold in the upcoming session is not an option.
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The town of Holden is mourning death of a 16-year-old who was killed in a single-vehicle wreck on Highway 190 in Livingston Parish. Jeff Palermo has more on the crash that also seriously injured four others…
cut 2 (32) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”
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A Holden teen is dead and four others badly hurt following a crash on US Highway 190 in Livingston Parish early Sunday morning. State Police Trooper Taylor Scrantz says a single cab pickup truck carrying five people was eastbound when for unknown reasons, it ran off the road to the right and struck a tree, killing one person…
Cut 3 (10) “…to local hospitals.”
Scrantz says it was raining when the crash occurred and due to the severity of the wreck, investigators are not sure who was driving in order to perform a toxicology report.
Cut 4 (09) “…prior to impact.”
Scrantz says 16-year-old Nathan Raymond was not buckled up, because he was ejected from the vehicle…
Cut 5 (08) “…across State Police.”
Raymond played basketball for Holden High School. The other four passengers were transported to local hospitals with serious injuries.
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The National Federation of Independent Business has two goals for the upcoming legislative session; lawsuit reform and sales tax collection simplification.
The omnibus “tort” reform bill this year would push the jury trial threshold for lawsuits from 50,000 dollars to 15,000 dollars. NFIB State Director Dawn Starns says not passing this is not an option.
71 percent of state NFIB members surveyed support dropping the threshold to 15,000 dollars.
Starns says Louisiana’s 50,000 dollar jury trial threshold is the highest in the nation, and that policy emboldens plaintiffs to file more lawsuits, and demand higher damages against businesses.
The NFIB says 53 percent of all state suits are filed for under 50,000 dollars, allowing plaintiffs to avoid a jury trial.
Sales tax collection reforms have become a growing issue, and Starns says it’s begun heavily impacting small businesses as more of their sales are online.
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Governor John Bel Edwards says rural communities are in a crisis and that’s why he created the Governor’s Advisory Council on Rural Revitalization. Edwards says many rural towns struggle with poverty, lack of adequate access to healthcare and education, so this council will help identify innovate solutions
Former Bogalusa senator Ben Nevers will serve as chairman of the Council that will have 34 members. The governor says he’s asking this group to submit a strategic plan by January 5th, 2021
Cut 10 (07) “…dual enrollment”
Edwards announced the formation of the Council at the Police Jury’s annual convention. The governor says rural revitalization will be a focus during his next four years in office…
Cut 11 (12) “…rural Louisiana”
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28-year-old Cameron Harville of Natchitoches died after striking a home along LA highway 494 and being ejected from his car.
State Police Trooper Casey Wallace says the vehicle was traveling eastbound on 494 when it left the road for an unknown reason and careened into the private residence early this morning.
After striking the house and being ejected, Wallace says Harville was recovered by first responders.
Wallace says there’s no guarantee that Harville would’ve survived the crash if he was buckled up, but his odds would have been a lot better.