Scheduled pay raises for state employees will be paused under the budget now making its way to the Senate floor. Senate Finance Committee members expressed concern about the “optics” of giving state workers a pay raise while so many private-sector employees have lost their jobs, but Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne notes that most of the workers who will be impacted don’t make a lot of money.
lawmakers say they will take a look at whether the state can afford the raises later this year.
The state education department informs schools that they should be prepared to have to close for three to five days once classes resume should the campus be recognized as having an ongoing spread of COVID-19. Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Larry Carter hopes schools have a plan in place to do a deep clean
Shreveport Republican Alan Seabaugh is once again pushing his petition to end Louisiana’s state of emergency because of COVID-19. Seabaugh needs the support of 53 other lawmakers in the House and says the spread mitigation restrictions have been extended too long.
Louisiana has seen over 53,000 COVID-19 cases and 3,000 fatalities and Baton Rouge Democrat Denise Marcelle applauds the Governor’s decision making and feels sacrificing human life is not worth it for a quicker economic bounce back.
Cut 15 (11) “…a business open.”
The trend of higher COVID case counts and increased hospitalizations continues today with 938 new positive tests reported and 22 additional hospitalizations.