This is the Louisiana Radio Network Legislative Report, I’m Kelley Ray…

The special session is at a standstill after the House Ways and Means committee failed to approve any tax reform measures today. Lake Charles Representative Stephen Dwight brought a bill up for vote to make permanent a quarter of a one-cent sales tax that is set to expire….
cut 14 (09) “….of it”
Baton Rouge Representative Barry Ivey voiced his opposition…
cut 15 (12) “…two years”
No word on when the House Ways and Means commmitte will meet again. The special session must wrap up its work two weeks from today.

On his monthly call-in radio show, Governor Edwards said he remains optimistic a solution to the fiscal cliff can be reached, but compromise is hard.

The Florida school shooting that left 16 children and one adult dead has sparked a new push for gun control legislation. Matt Doyle has Governor Edwards’ thoughts on gun control.
Voicer 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

A bill to require Medicaid patients to pay a copay if they use an emergency room for non-emergency treatment is expected to be heard Thursday in a House committe. Supporters say visits to the E-R for minor medical issues drives up health care costs, but opponents say the bill will result in low-income individuals not getting the care they need.

The special session is at a standstill after the House Ways and Means committee failed to approve any tax reform measures today. Lake Charles Representative Stephen Dwight brought a bill up for vote to make permanent a quarter of a one-cent sales tax that is set to expire….
cut 14 (09) “….of it”
Baton Rouge Representative Barry Ivey voiced his opposition…
cut 15 (12) “…two years”
No word on when the House Ways and Means commmitte will meet again. The special session must wrap up its work two weeks from today.

On his monthly call-in radio show, Governor Edwards said he remains optimistic a solution to the fiscal cliff can be reached, but compromise is hard.

The State Department of Education has launched the “Be Irreplaceable. Be a Teacher” campaign. Teacher of the Year Kim Eckert says the 100-thousand-dollar campaign is an effort to convince high school and college students to make a career in the teaching profession.
Cut 3 (07) “look like”
The campaign will use TV, radio, billboards and web advertising in an effort to reach Generation Z.

Next week it’s the girls state high school basketball championships in Alexandria and the week after it will be the boys turn in Lake Charles. But the LHSAA is having trouble having enough basketball referrees during the season. Assistant Executive Director Keith Alexander says unfortuantely rowdy fans can prevent some from wanting to be a ref. He says the LHSAA has had to take some extreme measures before…
cut 10 (08) “…empty stadium”

The special session is at a tipping point after a first attempt at tax reform failed in the House Ways and Means committee. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 2 (29) “I’m Matt Doyle”.

Louisiana schools have been responding to social media threats as mainly teen aged boys are mimicking what they saw last week in Florida. LSU Health New Orleans professor Joy Osofsky says it’s important for parents to talk with their children during these difficult times…
cut 7 (05) “…what happened”

The State Department of Education has launched a campaign called “Be Irreplaceable. Be a Teacher”. Teacher of the Year Kim Eckert says it’s an effort to get high school students and those in the first couple of years in college interested in becoming a teacher. Eckert says the campaign will attempt to attract Generation Z through television, radio and billboard ads…
Cut 4 (09) “anything else.”
You can find more information at Be-A Teacher-L-A-dot-com.

And the L-H-S-A-A has a need for more basketball referees and officials for spring sports…..
cut 11 (10) “…active official”
That’s Keith Alexander, who is an assistant executive director for the LHSAA. He says you can find more information at their website.

One other note…Saints-Pelicans Owner Tom Benson has been hospitalized because of the flu. He is said to be resting comfortably.

The House Ways and Means committee convenes today where they are expected to vote on bills that would raise revenue either by increasing income taxes on higher wage earners, keeping the state sales tax above four-cents or eliminating sales tax breaks for certain businesses. Baton Rouge Representative Barry Ivey doesn’t like that last idea…
cut 28 (08) “…other states”

The House Appropriations Committee approved legislation that creates a new website so the public can track how the state spends its money. House Speaker Taylor Barras says the Louisiana Checkbook would provide detailed information on individual state agencies’ budgets…
cut 15 (07) “….that system”
The measure heads to the House floor for further discussion.

A large part of the state is under a tornado watch until 5 PM. The watch box covers southwest, central and northeast Louisiana.

Auto rates conintues to rise as the state has approved double-digit hikes for at least six insurance companies, including State Farm. Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says rates go up faster in Louisiana, because the state’s legal climate leads to litigation a lot of times following accidents…
cut 12 (04) “….over accidents”
Donelon says Louisiana also has a lot of uninsured motorists and stolen vehicles.

The State Department of Education is launching the “Be Irreplaceable. Be a Teacher” campaign. Teacher of the Year Kim Eckert announced the 100-thousand-dollar campaign which is an effort to convince high school and college students to make a career in the teaching profession.
Cut 3 (07) “look like”
DOE will be looking to push the effort at attracting Generation Z of the advantages of teaching through television, radio and billboard ads and their website.

Tremont Waters scored 28 points last night as the LSU Tigers defeated Vanderbilt 88-78. Waters also had nine assists and set the school freshman record for assists in a season.

The LSU Tigers won their fifth straight game inside the Pete Maravich Assembly center as the Bayou Bengals beat Vanderbilt 88-78. The Tigers got a huge game from freshman point guard Tremont Waters who had 28 points. Wayde Sims added 16 points, while Aaron Epps added 15. LSU shot 63% from the field. They were 15-of-20 from the field in the 2nd half.

It looks like former LSU Tiger Jarvis Landry will have another season with the Miami Dolphins. The Fins placed the franchise tag on the wide receiver from Lutcher, which means he’ll get paid 16-million dollars in 2018, unless Landry and Miami can work out a long term deal. The team is using a non-exclusive tag, so another franchise can offer a contract to Landry, but they would owe Miami two first round picks if Landry left south Florida. The 25-year-old had 112 receptions last season to lead the NFL.

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LSU starting shortstop Josh Smith will miss the next four to six weeks becasue of a stress reaction in his back. Hal Hughes will replace Smith in the starting line-up. Coach Paul Mainieri also announced a change in the weekend rotation for the upcoming series against Texas, as Zack Hess will pitch Friday and Caleb Gilbert will move to Saturday…
cut 17 (19) “…Caleb on saturday”
LSU hosts UNO tonight. The Privateers lost to Jackson State 4-2 last night

Elsewhere, Louisiana Tech scored five runs in the 2nd inning and beat winless McNeese State 5-1. Left-hander David Leal pitched seven strong innings.

ULM downed Northwestern STate 11-6. Southeastern Louisiana downed Alcorn State 7-1. And Grambling swept a doubleheader from Wiley College.

State lawmakers have started the task of trying to close a one-billion dollar budget deficit. But there’s a divide in the legislature over how much to cut, compared to how much revenue should be raised to fill the budget hole. Governor Edwards has asked legislators to compromise over the next 17 days…
cut 30 (13) “…critical priorities”
The House Ways and Means committee heard various bills today that would raise revenue either by increasing income taxes on higher wage earners, keeping the state sales tax above four-cents or eliminating sales tax breaks for certain businesses. Baton Rouge Representative Barry Ivey doesn’t like that last idea…
cut 28 (08) “…other states”

A bill to create a transparency tool called Louisiana Checkbook passed the House Appropriations committee, and may be considered on the House floor later this week. The program closely mirrors Ohiocheckbook.com, where Ohio residents are presented a detailed report about state expenses.

After hitting the Southern regional average for teacher’s salaries back in 2007, Louisiana has fallen behind. Kelley Ray has more…
Voicer 1 (32) “I’m Kelley Ray.”

Attorney General Jeff Landry and Governor John Bel Edwards agree to allow the A-G’s office to take control of the state’s lawsuit against opioid manufacturers. The suit claims these drug makers are responsible for the costly battle against the epidemic. The A-G’s Chief Deputy Bill Stiles says opioid abuse has raised the cost for the state’s Medicaid program.
Cut 13 (10) “these prescriptions”

A Tangipahoa Parish School Board member Mike Whitlow is facing criticism for posting a picture of a noose on Facebook. Whitlow says the post was not racially motivated, and was only inspired by an article he read that called for stiffer prison sentences for violent offenders. He says he’s taken the appropriate steps to remedy the situation…
cut 11 (09) “…my intent”
The former Tangipahoa school superintendent believes Whitlow should resign.

New data is out that shows salaries for Louisiana public school teachers is 17-hundred dollars less than the Southern Regional Average. Legislative Director ofor the Louisiana Federation of Teachers Cynthia Posey says its disappointing to see this, when ten years ago, educators were paid about the same as other southern states…
cut 7 (09) “…to ask”
Posey hopes lawmakers can stabilize the budget, so more money can be available for teacher salaries.

A crawfish from the Atchafalaya Basin was pardoned during a ceremony at the old U.S. Mint in New Orleans were on hand. Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser says not everyone understands the event. During a recent visit to the White House, he tried to explain it to Vice President Mike Pence…
Cut 4 (11) “for Thanksgiving.”
Nungesser says the crawfish named Emile was released into Bayou Segnette State Park.