Governor Jeff Landry signed six auto insurance reform bills on Wednesday telling reporters the legislation would reduce rates by as much as 10-percent, because it would reduce the number of frivolous lawsuits. One of the bills is titled the “No pay, No Play” bill, limiting the damages that uninsured drivers can collect for bodily injury and medical expenses…

Cut 6 (11) “….pain and suffering”

Landry also signed House Bill 148 which gives the Insurance Commissioner more authority to reject excessive rate increases. Tim Temple says he does not need this authority. He calls it overregulation that will result in fewer insurance providers and offset any potential savings motorists would see as a result of the legal reform legislation signed by the governor.

Should the state increase the mandatory retirement age for state judges? The Louisiana House has approved a constitutional amendment that if also approved by the Senate, it would ask voters if the retirement age for judges should be raised from 70 to 75. Amite Representative Robby Carter voted against it and Kenner Representative Joe Stagni told Carter voters can decide if an older person is not fit to be a judge…

Cut 12 (11) “…should be it”

The proposal needs a two-thirds vote in the Senate too.

The Louisiana House sent a bill to the governor’s desk that says if you are driving below the speed limit in the left lane and not attempting to pass vehicles in the right lane, you could be ticketed. The vote in the House was 78 to 15. Chalmette Republican Michael Bayham voted against it.

Cut 15 (03) “…them traffic tickets.”

Alexandria Senator Jay Luneau is the author of the measure and believes his bill can help prevent road rage by cracking down on slow drivers in the left lane.

There are two weeks left in the legislative session and Governor Landry has already signed into law several bills aimed at lowering auto insurance rates….

Cut 1 (35) “…Andrew Greenstein”

Landry says the six bills he signed into law will help lower auto insurance rates by as much as ten percent. But Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple and the Insurance Council of Louisiana say possible savings from the new legal reform laws will be offset by the new law that gives the Insurance Commissioner arbitrary authority to reject rate increases.

Motorists traveling below the speed limit in the left lane on a four-lane highway and not attempting to pass vehicles in the right lane could be ticketed as a result of a bill that received final legislative approval yesterday in the Louisiana House. Tioga Republican Jason DeWitt says there’s already a law targeting left lane hogs, but this legislation makes it easier for law enforcement to enforce…

Cut 14 (08) “….the drivers create”

And you could soon walk into your local pharmacy and purchase ivermectin over the counter. In Louisiana, ivermectin is only available in livestock and feed stores…

Cut 9 (11)  “…won’t hide something.

Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham told the House Health and Welfare Committee that the drug is proven to be extremely safe, even though the FDA has not approved Ivermectin for COVID treatment.

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’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.”

Under Luneau’s bill, if you are traveling under the speed limit in the left lane and not attempting to pass vehicles to your right, you could receive a ticket.

Auto insurance reform has been a big topic of this legislative session. Governor Jeff Landry has signed a bill that would give trucking companies a break on their premiums if they install dashcams in their vehicles…

Cut 4 (13) “….from lawsuit abuse”

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. But the FDA never authorized Ivermectin as a way to treat COVID.

The Louisiana House has approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would raise the retirement age for state judges from 70 to 75 years old. Amite Representative Robbie Carter is a vocal critic to changing the law and was questioned by Baton Rouge Representative Denise Marcelle…

Cut 11 (15) “….already”

The measure passed the House on an 81-16 vote and it needs two-thirds approval from the Senate and then voter approval.

A person who infects another person with a sexually transmitted disease could be charged criminally under a bill approved by the House Criminal Justice Committee. Monroe Representative Pat Moore says current Louisiana law only addresses H-I-V and her bill would include all sexually transmitted diseases that are incurable and punishment would be six months or more in prison…

Cut 10 (10) “…want to.”

Criminal defense attorneys oppose the measure as they believe it would be hard to prosecute. The bill heads to the House floor for more discussion.

Nearing final legislative passage is a bill that would only allow Bonafide news organizations to conduct exit polling outside of polling places on election day. Destrehan Representative Beth Anne Billings says a college student, a blogger, or influencer would not be able to conduct exiting polling…

Cut 14 (04) “….in this bill”

A poll shows strong support for the App Store Accountability Act which requires approval from parents for minors to download apps.  Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

Monroe police say they’ve made an arrest in a brawl that involved several people in the parking lot of a Walmart over the Memorial Day weekend. Earlier today, Trace Castleberry, who is from Arkansas, was charged with second-degree battery. Monroe P-D says they are working to identify one other person involved in the brawl.

Governor Jeff Landry held a bill signing ceremony today where he signed several legal reform bills that he believes will lead to a reduction in frivolous lawsuits that have helped produce sky high auto insurance rates in Louisiana.

Landry also signed a bill 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.”

Temple says his office already has the power to reject rates and changes to the law will result in overregulation.

A Senate bill that restricts exit polling outside of voting locations to “bona fide news gathering organizations” received approval from the House on a 57-38 vote. Destrehan Representative Beth Anne Billings…

Cut 13 (09) “…non destructive manner”

The House Criminal Justice Committee approves a bill that would make it a crime to infect another person with a sexually transmitted disease. It would be a felony if the S-T-D is non-curable. The measure passed on a seven to five vote. Meghan Garvey from the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defensive Lawyers doesn’t see how you can prosecute this proposed law…

Cut 12 (12) “…what’s first”

The measure heads to the House floor and it still needs Senate approval too.

The Louisiana House has approved a bill that would create the App Store Accountability Act, which would require parental approval for minors to download apps on their smart devices. Opponents say the bill creates new data privacy and security problems and it doesn’t address that children can access harmful content on websites. But Louisiana Family Forum CEO Gene Mills says parents want Big Tech to put technology in place to make sure they approve their kids app downloads…

Cut 8 (11) “…not with my child.”

In the next hour, Governor Jeff Landry will hold a bill signing ceremony on tort reform legislation designed to help bring down auto insurance rates. Yesterday, the Louisiana House delivered Governor Jeff Landry a victory by approving a bill that would allow the insurance commissioner to reject rates without justification. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says the measure will push insurers out of the state.

The Louisiana House has approved a bill that makes it a crime to possess and distribute kratom. Covington Republican Peter Egan objected, he said the herbal substance can help treat chronic pain and mental health issues….

Cut 15 (13) “….that consumes it”

Despite Egan’s opposition the bill passed 87-6, sending it to the governor’s desk. During committee testimony, one family testified on how kratom drove their son to kill himself because the addiction is so bad.

There are more questions than answers when it comes to Sunday’s power outage that lasted several hours impacting nearly 100-thousand Louisianans. MISO, which is responsible for planning and coordinating generation and transmission of electricity, ordered a load shed after nuclear power plant shut down. Yvonne Capel Vickery is with the Alliance for Affordable Energy…

Cut 9 (13) “…how this happens”

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network held a Cancer Action Day at the State Capitol. Louisiana Government Relations Director for the A-C-S CAN Alice Kline says they are urging legislators to sustain funding for the Louisiana Breast and Cervical Cancer Program and the Louisiana Tumor Registry…

Cut 12 (10) “…each year”