8:30 LRN Newscast May 4

Lawmakers return to the State Capitol today to resume the 2020 session, but not all legislators will be present. Baton Rouge Representative Ted James, who was hospitalized with COVID-19 and pneumonia, says the House chamber is not a safe environment for him…
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James has since recovered but noted there’s no confirmation currently that those who’ve caught the virus once can’t be reinfected.

Meanwhile, the legislators who are reporting to the capitol have 28 days to pass a budget before the regular session must end June 1st. Before the coronavirus pandemic, lowering auto insurance rates was a big topic. Senate President Page Cortez still expects the tort reform bills to be heard
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A Lafayette company is set to start offering a rapid result coronavirus antibody test. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
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Louisiana reported 20 new COVID-19 deaths yesterday, the smallest increase in weeks. The state’s death toll is just shy of two-thousand. The state also reported just new 200 cases, also one of the lowest single-day totals in weeks, The number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized decline by 15 to 1,530, the number of patients on ventilators increased by five to 213.