Baton Rouge Representative Steve Carter says he has a better plan to raise money to fix roads and bridges in Louisiana. Jeff Palermo spoke with Carter…
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo.”
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The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index is at an all time high heading into 2018. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 2 (30) “Matt Doyle”
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After failing last year to raise Louisiana’s gas tax for road improvements, Baton Rouge Representative Steve Carter has a different idea this year. He plans to file a constitutional amendment that would would eventually allow a region of the state to decide if they want a higher gas tax for their area. Carter says there’s not enough support for a statewide gas tax increase…
Cut 3 (07) “any help.”
In the last year’s bill, Carter proposed a 17-cent gas tax increase would have paid for a 15-billion-dollar backlog of projects. Carter says since not all roads and bridges across Louisiana need maintenance, this amendment would allow voters a chance to say if they felt a gas tax increase was necessary in their area…
Cut 4 (08) “to vote.”
Carter says worsening road congestion is not only is a problem for drivers, but can hurt Louisiana’s economy. He cites the heavy traffic in his Baton Rouge area district as a key issue that needs to be solved in the state…
Cut 5 (08) “our bridge.”
The state hasn’t raised the gas tax since 1990. Drivers pay 38-point-four cents per gallon, including 20-cents in state taxes.
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NFIB Index of Small Business Optimism is at an all-time high as we enter 2018. The yearly index is a barometer for the general mood of small business owners across the US. A sharp rise in optimism was logged after the 2016 election, and Louisiana NFIB Director Dawn Starns says a lot of that has to do with the Trump administration’s promise of regulatory rollback and tax cuts…
Cut 6 (07) “in 2017”
Starns says a big factor was the judicial defeat of a Labor Department overtime rule. The rule would have required businesses to pay time and a half on overtime hours to roughly 4.6 million workers earning under $47,476 a year, who work more than forty hours a week. She says that was a boon for small businesses…
cut 7 (12) “hourly and their managers”
While optimism is high, Starns says businesses face one potential roadblock: finding qualified workers. She says it could hold back the Louisiana economy…
Cut 8 (09) “across the nation”
Starns says the increased competition for qualified workers will lead to higher wages.
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Governor John Bel Edwards has sent a letter to President Trump asking him to defend Louisiana’s ability to offer medical marijuana. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has requested a federal mandate that protects a state’s legal medical marijuana activity to be reversed. Senator Fred Mills authored the 2016 law authorizing the regulation of cannabis treatment here…:
Cut 9 (07) “for clients”
Recent polling in Louisiana indicates that there is broad support for the availability of medical marijuana treatment for those in need. Mills says tackling this type of program would be a horrible step back for people that need this medication…:
Cut 10 (03) “not humane”
Mills says Louisiana has the most conservative medical rules and laws in the nation. He says the program will work, and the federal government needs to stay out of the way…:
Cut 11 (08) “taking place”
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One teenager is dead and two adults are wounded after an apparent home invasion in Tallulah. 17-year-old Robert Taylor, was found deceased after Madison Parish deputies arrived on the scene Sunday night. 21-year-old Corey McGowan was injured and taken into custody last night. Investigator Brandon Wiltcher says the shootout began after Taylor and McGowan knocked at the homeowner’s door.
Cut 12 (10) “had weapons”
Afterward the homeowner opened the door, Wiltcher says the suspects allegedly forced their way into the house…
Cut 13 (11) “three men.”
McGowan is being held without bond at the Madison Parish Correctional Facility, and is charged with home invasion, armed robbery, and attempted first degree murder.
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Congressman Steve Scalise of Metairie says the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is already having a positive impact on families. Scalise lists over 100 businesses on his House Majority Whip website that have given bonuses, pay raises or made new investments as a result of the federal tax overhaul. Scalise says local businesses in southeast Louisiana are following suit….
Cut 14 (12) “bonuses”
Scalise says during the holiday break, he visited a local brewery in Hammond called Gnarley Barley. He says a husband and wife run the six-person operation and couldn’t provide health insurance for their workers until now…
Cut 15 (10) “this bill”