Another Industrial Tax Exemption Program change could be on it’s way if one Baton Rouge lawmaker has his way. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 1 (31) “I’m matt doyle.”

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 New legislation could see High Occupancy Vehicle lanes may be coming to the Bayou State.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”  

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New legislation could see I-10 renamed in honor of the Black and Gold.

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Brooke Thorington”

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A Louisiana Policy Institute for Children report shows the price of childcare in the state is rapidly rising in price, up 35 percent from 2010 to 2016.

To combat this, Executive Director Melanie Bronfin says the state should pump more money into early childhood subsidies like California does with it’s dedicated tobacco tax.

Cut 4 (10) “…states.”

The study shows childcare costs the average single parents on average 38 percent of their income, and 45 percent of all kids in the state live in single parent households.

Sports betting could be legalized this session, and some early childhood proponents have suggested putting that tax money towards the program. Bronfin says they are not advocating for legalization, but if it is legalized, they hope to make it a dedicated funding stream, but…

Cut 5 (11) “the puzzle.”

A state commission came up with a number for what the state would need to pay to take care of early childhood education for all at-risk kids. Bronfin says clearing the thousands of kids on the active wait list, and providing care for the rest who are in need is a substantial investment.

Cut 6 (10) “…ten years.”

15,000 kids are in the early childhood subsidy program, down from 39,000 in 2008.

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A Baton Rouge Representative is proposing a change to the Industrial Tax Exemption Program. The Republican lawmaker wants the Parish President, Sheriff, and School Board President to be the review board for ITEP requests.

Rick Edmonds says at the moment, requesting an ITEP means working with a number of local boards.

Cut 7 (07) “…a different parish.”

The new ITEP policy grabbed headlines after a community group pushed the Baton Rouge School Board to deny Exxon an ITEP tax break. Edmonds says he hopes the streamlining will appease both local stakeholders and business investors.

Cut 8 (11) “…approval of.”

The changes comes a year after an executive order eliminated a state review board and gave local authorities the final say on the tax exemption.

Edmonds says the Governor assured businesses that the change would not create problems, but…

Cut 9 (09) “…in Texas.″

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Louisiana may soon see high occupancy vehicle lanes instituted across the state.  Livingston Senator Dale Erdey says a recent study  showed Louisiana could benefit from the use of HOV lanes, and now the state Department of Transportation needs the authority to put them in place.  Erdey says the room for the extra lane is already there, but there will be some funding needed….

Cut 10 (07) “…to accomplish this.”

Erdey says drivers riding solo would not get to take advantage of the driving in the lane, but they’d likely still see benefits from the change.

Cut 11 (08) “…lanes of highway.”

When it comes to enforcement of the laws of the HOV lanes, Erdey says in other states, cameras can now detect the occupancy in a vehicle, and they can tell if you are trying to pull one over on the system.

Cut 12 (04) “…the passenger seat.″

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New Orleans Representative Wesley Bishop is introducing legislation to see the interstate adopt the moniker the “Who Dat Nation Highway.”  Bishop says the nearly 275 mile stretch of Interstate 10 that runs through South Louisiana would be rebranded in an effort to pay homage to the fans of the Black and Gold.

Cut 13 (10) “…in the world.”

Bishop says the idea spawned from being upset about how the NFC title game played out and says the Saints fan are the best fan base on the planet.

Cut 14 (09) “…to do something.”

Bishop says nothing brings together the Bayou state quite like the Saints.

Cut 15 (09) “…New Orleans Saints.”

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The Tigers baseball team is riding a high after their bats came back alive in a series win over Mississippi State a few days ago, and now they’re hoping to keep that momentum going in tonight’s game against Grambling. LSU scored double digit runs in both of the last two games, and Head coach Paul Mainieri says the display is a big ego boost to the team.

Cut 16  (15) “…the time.” 

Friday’s  10-5 win was the first time in eight games the Tigers scored in double digits. Mainieri says he told the team to keep their head high through a hitting slump that resulted in a four-game losing streak,….

 cut 17 (18)   “…direction” 

Louisiana has the highest level of stress in the nation according to research from the personal finance website WalletHub.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 1 (28) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

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A Baton Rouge Representative wants to raise the gas tax by 18 cents over the next 12 years to pay for billions in Louisiana infrastructure projects. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”  

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The personal finance website WalletHub finds Louisiana is the most stressed out state in the nation.  Bordering states Mississippi took second place and Arkansas placed third.  WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzales says 40 different metrics were used to calculate the rankings.

Cut 3 (11) “…those different things.”

Louisiana ranks fifth for percent of adults with fair or poor health and sixth for getting adequate sleep. She says the state also comes in second for divorce rate….

Cut 4 (11) “…cyclical aspects here.”

Gonzales says the lack of money can lead to stress and Louisiana ranks high in a couple of categories…

Cut 5 (10) “…in poverty.”

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Baton Rouge Representative Steve Carter has a bill that would eventually pump billions of dollars into the state’s crumbling infrastructure by raising the gas tax by 18 cents a gallon over the next 12 years. Carter says his bill would make sure that every cent raised would go towards fixing bridges, building roads, and other vital needs.

Cut 6 (12) “…this state”

The current gas tax is 20 cents a gallon, and if passed the legislation would raise that by six cents in the first year.

In one week, lawmakers are set to descend on a Baton Rouge that has found itself shutdown over the last week by traffic gridlock. Carter says he understands his colleague’s hesitation about new taxes, but the traffic nightmare in the capital should be a persuasive argument.

Cut 7 (11) “…somewhere”

The legislation mandates that certain projects, including a new Baton Rouge Mississippi River Bridge, and a new I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge, are built using the money.

A past effort by Carter to pass a similar tax failed to even make it to the floor, but the Capital City Republican says he’s heard from lawmakers since then who have changed their mind.

Cut 8 (09) “…gasoline tax”

The legislation would also redirect the .45 percent sales tax, passed last year and set to expire in 2025, into the infrastructure fund.

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State Attorney General Jeff Landry is touting legislation filed for the upcoming session that would guarantee healthcare coverage for pre-existing conditions and other patient projections, if the Affordable Care Act is ruled unconstitutional. Landry says its called “Health Care Coverage for Louisiana Families Protection Act…

Cut 9 (12) “…pre-existing conditions”

Landry’s office supports a lawsuit that seeks to declare Obamacare as unconstitutional. Back in December, a federal judge ruled in favor of that suit and the ruling is currently under appeal. The A-G has been outspoken critic of the A-C-A, says this bill is just one part of the solution…

Cut 10 (07)“…coming out”

Governor Edwards says its ironic Landry is taking credit for fixing a problem he helped create by supporting litigation that endangers health care coverage for almost 850-thousand Louisiana residents. But Landry says the lawsuit gives Louisiana an opportunity to create a better health care system…

Cut 11 (09)   “fellow citizens.”

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The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services releases a report that finds the number of reported juvenile trafficking victims rose by 20-percent in 2018. Child welfare manager Christy Tate says they don’t think the crime of human trafficking is getting worse, but there’s greater awareness about the problem…

Cut 12 (08) “…being trained.”

Overall in 2018, there were 744 confirmed victims of trafficking, 58-percent were juveniles and as young as five months old. She says the oldest victim of human trafficking was 65-years-old…

Cut 13 (10) “…their 60s.”

The report also found that Orleans, Caddo and East Baton Rouge were the parishes most frequently identified as the trafficking locations for both adult and juvenile victims. She says that’s not a big surprise…

Cut 14 (07) “…traveled areas”