A state rental assistance program is temporarily suspended due to an “overwhelming response” after less than a week. Matt Doyle has the story.
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House Speaker Clay Schexnayder is discouraging fellow Republican legislators from supporting a petition to revoke the Governor’s coronavirus health emergency. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”
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A 24 million dollar state program designed to provide rental assistance to low-income individuals has been temporarily suspended.
The program had funding to help 10,000 families, but 40,000 applications were received. Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center Director Cashauna Hill…
The program was available to those making under 15,000 dollars a year and would provide three months of rental assistance to those eligible.
Hill says the mass interest in the rental assistance program is evidence of a budding crisis that is set to get much worse in the near future.
Negotiations on potentially extending a portion of those benefits are beginning this week in Congress. Democrats want a full extension through the end of the year, Republicans are concerned about the program paying people more to remain unemployed than to work.
Hill says estimates show that to address the impending rent crisis the state would need 500 million dollars.
LFHAC is among 52 social service agencies and advocates from around the state who signed a letter sent to Governor Edwards calling for more funding for rental assistance.
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Governor John Bel Edwards says he’ll use his lunchtime today, tomorrow, and Wednesday for prayer and fasting. He’s encouraging Louisiana residents to do the same…
The state health department reported 34 more deaths on Sunday to bring Louisiana’s death toll to 3,433. Edwards says he got the idea for three days of fasting and prayer during a conference call with faith leaders…
Cut 7 (09) “other Louisianians”
Edwards says he believes in the power of prayer and in the power of working together and being good neighbors to overcome COVID-19…
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House Speaker Clay Schexnayder is discouraging his fellow Republicans from supporting an effort spearheaded by Shreveport Republican Alan Seabaugh to revoke the Governor’s coronavirus pandemic state of emergency. Schexnayder says the petition fixes nothing.
Schexnayder adds the move could trigger overrides for ongoing executive orders tied to previous natural disasters and be a hurdle for the governor’s authority to tackle future events.
Schexnayder says the executive order is just one layer of mitigation efforts and it will not loosen up restrictions put in place by local governments.
The recently enacted statewide mask mandate has once again brought attention back to the petition. Schexnayder says he understands the inconvenience of wearing masks, but adds this petition will not remove the mandate.
Seabaugh has responded calling the House Speaker’s claims about the petition’s consequences inaccurate fear-mongering.
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The National Hurricane Center is monitoring three tropical waves, but none of the disturbances are a serious threat to Louisiana. State Climatologist Barry Keim says a weak low-pressure area south of the Texas-Louisiana border has caught the attention of forecasters
Cut 12 (07) “…southwestern Louisiana.”
There’s another disturbance in the middle of the Atlantic and the other is over Cuba and heading towards the Gulf of Mexico. Keim says this disorganized area of showers and thunderstorms should get into the Gulf tomorrow
Cut 13 (10) “…overly serious.”
Keim says we are moving closer to the heart of the hurricane season and it’s not a surprise to see tropical activity pick up