Of the six auto insurance reform bills that Governor Landry signed this week, the most contentious is the one that gives the insurance commissioner the authority to reject rate increases regardless of market conditions. It’s a bill that the current insurance commissioner, Tim Temple, opposed. He says with that bill, Louisiana will no longer be a stable, predictable rating regulatory environment.

Cut 6 (10) “…in other states.”

A bill heads to the Senate floor that would require age verification and parental approval for minors to download apps. Jason Saine (“sane”) with Netchoice, who opposes the bill, says the bill is deeply flawed and would likely undermine privacy, fail to effectively protect minors and violate Louisianans’ First Amendment rights…

Cut 10 (13) “…face of these rights.”

Senate Education approves a TOPS bill that creates a new excellence level scholarship for students who score a 31 or higher on their ACT.  Ruston Representative Chris Turner says this will hopefully keep students in the state.

Cut 11 (07) “…been offered that.”

The bill now goes to Senate Finance, because it will cost the state millions of dollars more next fiscal year.

A deceased infant’s body is found mixed in with linens at a cleaning facility in Shreveport. The Shreveport Police Department determined that the body belonged to a baby who was stillborn, arrived from a funeral home in Dallas and was supposed to have been cremated. Corporal Chris Bordelon says the baby’s parents have never been accused of any wrongdoing.

Cut 16 (12) “…the funeral home.”

Governor Landry says the package of reform bills he signed this week will ultimately save drivers at least ten-percent on their auto insurance premiums. He also touted the tort reform bills that he signed, saying it will reduce frivolous lawsuits and improve the litigation environment in Louisiana.

Cut 5 (12) “…to the citizens.”

A bill heads to the Senate floor that would require age verification and parental approval for minors to download apps. Meta supports the legislation, but Google opposes it, citing privacy concerns and claiming it would require invasive ID checks. The bill’s author, Mandeville Representative Kim Carver, said in a committee hearing that Apple CEO Tim Cook also voiced opposition in regards to a similar Texas law.

Cut 9 (08)  “…not to sign it.”

A disturbing discovery in Shreveport, as a deceased infant’s body was found mixed in with linens at a cleaning facility. The body arrived at the facility from a funeral home in Dallas. Shreveport Police Corporal Christopher Bordelon says investigators are looking into how the baby’s body ended up in Shreveport.

Cut 14 (13) “…to be cremated.”

The baby’s parents are not implicated in any wrongdoing.

It’s the weekend LSU baseball fans and the team have been waiting for since the season started in February. The Tigers open up NCAA Regional play by hosting Little Rock at 2 p-m. It will be LSU’s first game since last Saturday’s loss to Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament. Coach Jay Johnson says his guys are ready to go.

Cut 17 (08)  “…with our team.”

Among the auto insurance reform bills that Governor Landry signed earlier this week is HB148, which gives the insurance commissioner the authority to reject rate increases regardless of market conditions. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple opposes it, and he says if insurance rates don’t come down by the ten-percent Governor Landry said they will, Landry will point the finger at him.

Cut 7 (10) “…sooner than that.”

A bill heads to the Senate floor that would require age verification and parental approval for minors to download apps. Mandeville Representative Kim Carver’s bill was expanded to include app developers after an amendment was added during discussion in the Senate Commerce Committee.

Cut 8 (13) “…chunk on that.”

NCAA Regional time has arrived for the LSU baseball team. Colleen Crain reports fans are excited, and so is the team.

Cut 3 (31) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

“Win today, and we walk together forever.” LSU Shreveport head baseball coach Brad Neffendorf might want to deliver that famous quote from late NHL head coach Fred Shero to his team as they get set to take on Southeastern University of Florida tonight. If the Pilots win, not only will they win the NAIA national championship, but they will wrap up what is believed to be the first perfect season in college baseball at any level.

The governor is touting the insurance reform bills he signed this week, while the insurance commissioner is blasting one of them. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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A bill requiring age verification and parental approval for minors to download apps heads to the Senate. Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

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NCAA Regional time has arrived for the LSU baseball team. Colleen Crain reports fans are excited, and so is the team.

Cut 3 (31) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

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Governor Landry is touting the six auto insurance reform bills that he signed into law earlier this week. Landry estimates that the package of reform bills will ultimately save drivers at least ten-percent on their auto insurance premiums. Landry said the Department of Insurance made a series of requests in its report to the legislature back in 2020; and this year, the legislature acted on them.

Cut 4 (09) “…on their promises.”

Landry also touted the tort reform bills that he signed, saying it will reduce frivolous lawsuits and improve the litigation environment in Louisiana.

Cut 5 (12) “…to the citizens.”

The one bill that Landry signed that was the most contentious was the one that gives the insurance commissioner the authority to reject rate increases regardless of market conditions. It’s a bill that the current insurance commissioner, Tim Temple, opposed. He says with that bill, Louisiana will no longer be a stable, predictable rating regulatory environment.

Cut 6 (10) “…in other states.”

Temple says if insurance rates don’t come down by the ten-percent Governor Landry said they will, Landry will point the finger at him.

Cut 7 (10) “…sooner than that.”

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A bill heads to the Senate that would require age verification and parental approval for minors to download apps. Originally, Mandeville Representative Kim Carver’s bill focused on app stores like Apple’s App Store and Google Play; however, the bill was expanded to include app developers after an amendment was added during discussion in the Senate Commerce Committee…

Cut 8 (13) “…chunk on that.”

Meta supports the original bill, arguing it helps parents manage their children’s app use and supports safe, age-appropriate digital experiences. Google, however, opposes the legislation, citing privacy concerns and claiming it would require invasive ID checks. Carver says Apple CEO Tim Cook also voiced opposition in regards to a similar Texas law.

Cut 9 (08)  “…not to sign it.”

Jason Saine (“sane”) with Netchoice, who opposes the bill, says while his company shares Carver’s goal to protect minors, the bill is deeply flawed and would likely undermine privacy, fail to effectively protect minors and violate Louisianans’ First Amendment rights…

Cut 10 (13) “…face of these rights.”

If passed, HB570 would take effect in July 2026.

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Senate Education approves a TOPS bill that creates a new excellence level scholarship for students who score a 31 or higher on their ACT.  Ruston Representative Chris Turner says this will hopefully keep students in the state.

Cut 11 (07) “…been offered that.”

Turner says the bill also allows some medical and dental school students to qualify.

Cut 12 (08) “…pay it back.”

The excellence level increases the scholarship award amounts for Louisiana students, including a new Excellence award of 12-thousand dollars for high-achieving students.

Cut 13 (04)  “…residence in Louisiana.”

The bill has been approved by the House; and it now goes to Senate Finance, because it will cost the state millions of dollars more next fiscal year.

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A disturbing discovery in Shreveport, as a deceased infant’s body was found mixed in with linens at a cleaning facility. The ALSCO Uniforms employee who discovered the body initially believed it to be a doll, and the company was able to determine that the body came from a funeral home in Dallas. Shreveport Police Corporal Christopher Bordelon says investigators are looking into how the baby’s body ended up in Shreveport.

Cut 14 (13) “…to be cremated.”

Corporal Bordelon says there’s no suspicion surrounding the baby’s death.

Cut 15 (07) “…been natural causes.”

Bordelon says the baby’s parents have never been accused of any wrongdoing.

Cut 16 (12) “…the funeral home.”

The baby’s body is now in the custody of the Caddo Parish Coroner, and the Texas Funeral Service Commission has been notified.

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It’s the weekend LSU baseball fans and the team have been waiting for since the season started in February. The Tigers open up NCAA Regional play by hosting Little Rock at 2 p-m. It will be LSU’s first game since last Saturday’s loss to Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament. Coach Jay Johnson says his guys are ready to go.

Cut 17 (08)  “…with our team.”

LSU went 30-and-5 at home this season. Johnson says playing at home is a real advantage.

Cut 18 (13)  “…advantage of that.”

Johnson treats the regular season like a 56-game playoff, so when the playoffs actually start, his team can handle the added pressure.

Cut 19 (15) “…help this team.”

Governor Landry is touting the six auto insurance reform bills that he signed into law earlier this week. Landry estimates that the package of reform bills will ultimately save drivers at least ten-percent on their auto insurance premiums. Landry said the Department of Insurance made a series of requests in its report to the legislature back in 2020; and this year, the legislature acted on them.

Cut 4 (09) “…on their promises.”

The one bill that Landry signed that was the most contentious was the one that gives the insurance commissioner the authority to reject rate increases regardless of market conditions. It’s a bill that the current insurance commissioner, Tim Temple, opposed. He says it will destabilize the insurance market; and if insurance rates don’t come down by the ten-percent Landry said they will, Landry will point the finger at him.

Cut 25 (10) “…sooner than that.”

A major monkey wrench in the fight to restrict speed cameras throughout the state. As the legislature continues considering Monroe Republican Senator Stewart Cathey’s bill to do away with the speed cameras, the House passed an amendment to exempt Opelousas from any such rule. The city says its police department does not have the manpower to conduct speed enforcement the traditional way. Cathey says the people of Opelousas should fight back.

Cut 7 (10) “…these speed cameras.”

Fluoride will not be banned in public drinking water systems, as the House Health and Welfare Committee voted down a bill that would have done so. Opponents, including 9-year-old Toby Ramen from Monroe, defended fluoride as safe, effective, and essential for public health.

Cut 11 (13) “…than asthma.” 

Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans is boosting its reward for information leading to the capture of the two remaining escapees from the Orleans Justice Center to 20-thousand dollars. President Darlene Cusanza says the tips have proven to be very beneficial.

Cut 4 (11) “…within 30 minutes.”

As the legislature continues considering Monroe Republican Senator Stewart Cathey’s bill to do away with the speed cameras, the House passed an amendment by a single vote to exempt Opelousas from any such rule. It then passed the overall bill 72-to-23 and now goes back to the Senate to consider the House changes. Cathey says he’s completely unsure how to proceed, especially since he says he got 99-percent of what he wanted.

Cut 8 (08) “…one little fight.”

The House Health and Welfare committee rejected a bill by Houma Sen. Mike Fesi that sought to ban fluoride in public drinking water systems. Opponents, including 9-year-old Toby Ramen from Monroe, defended fluoride as safe, effective, and essential for public health as well as helping fight chronic diseases.

Cut 11 (13) “…than asthma.”  

And apparently, two-thirds of the committee agreed with him.

LSU-Shreveport won a record-tying 57th straight game last night, leaving them two more victories away from winning an NAIA national championship. The Pilots defeated Southeastern from Florida ten to nothing. LSU-S pitcher Isaac Rohde struck out ten and he benefited from his teammates scoring five runs in the first inning…

Cut 13 (07)  “…it was awesome”

The legislative session enters the home stretch today, with the end now two weeks away. Andrew Greenstein reports the push is on to get those last-minute bills onto Governor Landry’s desk.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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Several COVID patients turned to Ivermectin during the pandemic and a bill moving through the legislature would allow adults to obtain the drug at a pharmacy without a prescription.  Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (27) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

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State judges who are 70 and older are forced to retire once their term ends. Jeff Palermo reports the Louisiana House supports a proposal raising the mandatory retirement age to 75.

Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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The legislative session ends two weeks from today, and the mad push is on to get as many bills onto Governor Landry’s desk as possible. Auto insurance reform has been the biggest issue in this session; and yesterday, Landry held a ceremony at the governor’s mansion in which he signed six bills into law. Among them is one that gives commercial trucking companies an incentive to install dashcams in their vehicles.

Cut 4 (13) “…from lawsuit abuse.” (Mandates 5% premium discount for installing dashcams in trucks)

Landry also signed a bill that requires those who sue for bodily injury to prove that they were indeed injured in the crash in question.

Cut 5 (15) “…keeping that promise.”

Landry also signed the “no pay, no play” bill into law, limiting the damages that uninsured drivers can collect for bodily injury and medical expenses.

Cut 6 (11) “…pain and suffering.”

The other bills Landry signed were the ones that gives the insurance commissioner the authority to reject rate increases regardless of market conditions, one that bars drivers who are at least 51-percent at fault for a crash from collecting damages to cover the cost of their injuries, and one barring undocumented immigrants who are injured in crashes from collecting damages.

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A Senate bill that would reclassify Ivermectin, commonly used to treat parasitic infections, as an over-the-counter medication in Louisiana passed the House Health and Welfare committee on a 10-1 vote. Louisiana Surgeon General Dr. Ralph Abraham supports the bill. He says Ivermectin as an over-counter drug would increase access and promote medical freedom.

Cut 7 (13) “…over-the-counter.”

Some people turned to Ivermectin during the COVID pandemic as a way to prevent and treat the virus. But the FDA never authorized that type of treatment for COVID. Pharmacist Dr. Jonathan Hartman says allowing people to use Ivermectin for other reasons than to treat a parasite would put pharmacists in a difficult position.

Cut 8 (12) “…of issues there.”

Abraham says the drug is proven to be extremely safe, and currently being used off-label by the general population from veterinarian supply stores.

Cut 9 (12)  “…wont hide something.”

The Senate approved bill heads to the House floor for more debate.

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The Louisiana House has approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would give voters the opportunity to decide if the mandatory retirement of judges should be raised from 70 to 75 years old. New Orleans Democrat Jason Hughes presented the bill on the House floor.

Cut 10 (09) “…to weigh in.”

The bill passed on an 81-16 vote. Amite Democrat Robby Carter spoke out against the proposal. Carter says it’s important a judge has a clear mind, because they make decisions that can significantly impact a person’s life. Baton Rouge Representative Denise Marcelle questioned Carter about his logic.

Cut 11 (15) “…nursing homes already.”

Under current state law, a judge can serve on the bench beyond the age of 70 if their term does not expire until after the judge’s 70^th birthday. Kenner Republican Joe Stagni voted for the proposed constitutional amendment. He told Carter that voters can decide if an older person is not fit to be a judge.

Cut 12 (09) “…should be it.”

The proposal heads to the Senate. Earlier in the session, the upper chamber rejected a proposal to remove the mandatory retirement age for judges.

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Left lane hogs, now is the time to start changing your ways. Soon, it will be illegal to take up the left lane without passing another vehicle, regardless of the speed. The House passed Senate Bill 11 by Alexandria Democrat Jay Luneau, sending it to Governor Landry’s desk. Driving in the left lane without passing another vehicle is already against state law, but Tioga Republican Jason DeWitt says this bill makes an important change.

Cut 13 (08)  “…penalties to apply.” (Removes requirement that driver needs to be going 10 mph under posted speed limit for penalties to apply)

DeWitt says the change allows for better enforcement of the spirit of the law.

Cut 14 (08) “…the drivers create.”

The vote in the House was 78 to 15. Chalmette Republican Michael Bayham was one of the 15 who voted nay.

Cut 15 (03) “…them traffic tickets.”

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The biggest question mark heading into Friday’s NCAA Regional against Little Rock is who will LSU Coach Jay Johnson start on the mound? The Trojans enter the tournament with a losing record so LSU could hold its two best starting pitchers, Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson for games on Saturday and Sunday. But Joe Healy of D-1 Baseball dot com believes Johnson will go with Anderson, who has been the Friday night starter.

Cut 16 (08) “…line things up.”

Dallas Baptist is the two-seed in the Baton Rouge Regional. They have been good on offense, with nearly 100 home runs as a team and more than 100 stolen bases. The voice of Patriots baseball, Reagan Ragcliff, says D-B-U improved on the mound during the second half of the season.

Cut 17 (15)  “…tournament time.”

LSU did not use pitchers Zac Cowan or Casan Evans in the SEC Tournament. Tigers pitching coach Nate Yeskie both of them pitched a lot of high stress innings, so a little extra time off should help them.

Cut 18 (18)  “…breather too.”

LSU hosts Little Rock at 2 p-m. Dallas Baptist plays Rhode Island at 6:30.

With two weeks left in the legislative session, several bills dealing with the soaring cost of auto insurance in Louisiana have made their way to Governor Landry’s desk; and Wednesday morning, he signed six of them into law in a ceremony in the governor’s mansion. Among them is one that grants the insurance commissioner the authority to reject rate increases regardless of market conditions. It’s a bill that the state’s current insurance commissioner, Tim Temple, opposed.

Cut 4 (12) “…break their promises.”

Another bill that Landry signed is the one that bars drivers who are at least 51-percent at fault for a crash from collecting damages to cover the cost of their injuries. It’s something that the business community has been screaming for for years.

Cut 5 (09) “…fulfill that promise.”

A person who infects another person with an STD without their knowledge of the disease could face criminal charges under a bill approved by the House Criminal Justice Committee. It calls for felony charges for infecting someone with an incurable STD; for a curable disease, the charge would be a misdemeanor. Meghan Garvey from the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers testified against it.

Cut 11 (11) “…someone’s word.” 

A warning for all left-lane hogs – soon, it will be illegal to take up the left lane without passing another vehicle, regardless of the speed. Hogging the left lane is against the law, but Tioga Republican Jason DeWitt says Senate Bill 11 makes an important change.

Cut 13 (08)  “…penalties to apply.” 

The bill passed the House 78-to-15 and now heads to the governor’s desk.

The Alliance for Affordable Energy is urging the state and utility regulators to take steps to prevent another widespread blackout. Colleen Crain reports.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

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The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network held Cancer Action day at the Capitol to advocate for increase cancer funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs.  Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

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A statewide ban on kratom is now one signature from Governor Landry away from becoming reality. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 3 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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The ULM School of Education earned an A+ rating from the National Council on Teacher Quality for its elementary math teacher preparation, one of only four Louisiana universities to achieve this distinction.  School of Education Associate Director Dr. Shalanda Stanley says the NCTQ evaluated 17 programs, focusing on time dedicated to key math content and math pedagogy.

Cut 4 (11) “…very proud of it.”

This follows ULM’s prior A+ rating in Reading Foundations. With 25-percent of Louisiana’s 4th graders lacking basic math skills, per the National Assessment of Education Progress, ULM’s rigorous, CAEP-accredited programs, led by Stanley, prepare teachers to address critical educational needs.

Cut 5 (10) “…student performance.”

Stanley says the difference is shortening the gap between learning how to do it and actually practicing implementation with students getting hundreds of hours of field experience prior to full-time teaching.

Cut 6 (12) “…are the students.”

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The Alliance for Affordable Energy is urging the state and utility regulators to take steps to prevent another massive outage like the one New Orleans experienced Sunday night. The alliance’s clean grid manager, Yvonne Cappel (cah-PELL)-Vickery, says MISO should not be the ones to blame; one factor behind the outage was poor transmission planning among the utilities.

Cut 7 (10) “…us in Louisiana.”

The weather in the New Orleans area Sunday was considerably warmer than forecast; and as such, MISO was forced to order the blackouts to preserve energy. Earlier, Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis blamed the DOGE cuts on the inaccurate forecasts. Cappel-Vickery says it’s imperative that the National Weather Service be fully staffed to prevent blackouts like this.

Cut 8 (13) “…such as this.”

Cappel-Vickery says accurate weather forecasting is essential for utility companies to determine how much load is necessary to meet the demand.

Cut 9 (09)  “…we have available.”

Cappel-Vickery is also urging regulators to continue to ask the hard questions in order to fully understand how this happened so that they can enact measures to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.

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The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network held Cancer Action Day at the Capitol. Louisiana Government Relations Director for the ACS CAN Alice Kline says the rally was to advocate for increased funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs.

Cut 10 (10) “…so heavily.”

Kline says advocates met with lawmakers to stress the importance of investing tobacco tax revenue in initiatives to prevent youth tobacco use and help smokers quit.

Cut 11 (10) “…long-term Medicaid costs.”

Kline urged for sustained funding for the Louisiana Breast and Cervical Cancer Program and the Louisiana Tumor Registry to enhance early detection and reduce cancer burdens.

Cut 12 (10) “…each year.”

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A ban on kratom in Louisiana is now one signature from Governor Landry from becoming law. The State House has followed the Senate’s lead in overwhelmingly voting to ban the supplement sometimes known as “gas station heroin.” The House vote on West Monroe Senator Jay Morris’ bill was 86-to-6. Kenner Republican Debbie Villio presented the bill in the House. She said kratom is cloaked in deception.

Cut 13 (08)  “…routinely do so.”

Villio says kratom is highly addictive and potentially fatal.

Cut 14 (11) “…bad, bad stuff.”

Covington Republican Peter Egan offered up an amendment that would have allowed the sale and use of only naturally-occurring kratom. That, along with another amendment, were voted down. Egan argued that more than six-percent of Louisiana’s population uses kratom.

Cut 15 (13) “…that consumes it.”

Egan says when used properly, naturally occurring kratom has its benefits.

Cut 16 (14) “…an addicted need.”

The Senate vote earlier this month was 26 to 11. Again, it now heads to Governor Landry’s desk for his signature.

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LSU Baseball is hosting its 28^th Regional this weekend and its first since 2023. Designated Hitter Ethan Frey from Rosepine was a freshman on that team and is excited to experience postseason baseball at the Box once again….

Cut 17 (12)  “…every game.”

The Tigers offense has looked better at the Box than on the road and Frey says that’s not a coincidence….

Cut 18 (18)  “…looks like so.”

Frey was a two-time state champion at Rosepine High and was on the 2023 LSU national championship team. The junior says losing in the Regional last year helped motivate him this year…

Cut 19 (15) “…season again.”

A ban on kratom in Louisiana is now one signature from Governor Landry away from becoming law. The House has followed the Senate’s lead in overwhelmingly voting to ban the supplement sometimes known as “gas station heroin.” The House vote on West Monroe Senator Jay Morris’ bill was 86-to-6. Kenner Republican Debbie Villio presented the bill in the House. She said kratom is cloaked in deception.

Cut 13 (08)  “…routinely do so.”

Covington Republican Peter Egan offered up an amendment that would have allowed the sale and use of only naturally-occurring kratom. That, along with another amendment, were voted down. Egan says when used properly, naturally occurring kratom has its benefits.

Cut 16 (14) “…an addicted need.”

The Senate vote earlier this month was 26 to 11. Once again, it now heads to Governor Landry’s desk for his signature.

One bill that’s not going to Governor Landry’s desk – not yet, at least – is one by Senator Blake Miguez that would ban ultra-processed foods from being served and sold in public schools. Lafayette Republican John Carlson presented the bill in the House and agreed to return it to the calendar for further discussion. On the House floor, Carlson said scientific research shows that these additives are harmful.

Cut 25 (17) “…in our schools.”

Once again, Carlson has returned the bill to the calendar for further discussion.