A survey from LSU finds 56-percent of respondents believe families who are on the upper end of the income bracket should not be eligible for the taxpayer funded scholarship program….
cut 12 (08) “….for that”
That’s Michael Henderson with the LSU Public Policy Research Lab, who says their poll also found 60-percent of the public supports higher academic requirements. High school students currently need at least a 2.5 GPA and a 20 on the ACT.

West Monroe Representative Frank Hoffman has filed a bill for the upcoming session to raise the state’s tax on a pack of cigarettes from a dollar-eight-cents to one-dollar-and-30 cents…

cut 8 (08) “…with that”

Louisiana ranks 36th in the country for highest cigarette tax in the country.

A plan to provide all Louisiana school districts with high speed internet has been scrapped. Executive Director of the Louisiana School Boards Association, Scott Richard says districts were given a short time period to commit to a plan with very little information from the Board of Regents. He says every school district wants to have high speed internet access, but funding uncertainties caused many to be hesitant.
Cut 3 (10) “this endeavor”
Richard hopes schools districts will have another attempt to receive this funding in the future.

Getting lawmakers to approve the revised coastal restoration master plan is part of Governor Edwards legislative package. Jennings Senator Blade Morrish the plan contains 120 projects that are fairly evenly divided between protection and restoration…
Cut 15 (09) “Louisiana coast”

A bill filed for the regular session seeks to fully fund TOPS by using riverboat gaming revenues. For the first time ever, the taxpayer funded scholarship didn’t cover all of a student’s tuition costs this year. Baton Rouge Representative Franklin Foil says he wants to make sure the program isn’t underfunded in the future…:
Cut 7 (08) “a year”
He says if this bill passes, TOPS would have to be fully funded before riverboat gaming revenues can be used on other items in budget.

And there’s an LSU survey that finds a majority of Louisiana residents want to see the state-funded scholarship fully funded. But Michael Henderson, with the LSU Public Policy Research Lab, says the public supports a higher GPA to qualify for TOPS…
cut 11 (08) “…for that”
There’s a bill that’s been filed in the legislative session to raise the GPA requirement for TOPS.

Louisiana’s revised coastal restoration masterplan will be taken up by lawmakers in the regular session, as part of the governor’s legislative package to protect and restore the state’s coast. The plan contains 120 projects to be completed over the next 50 years that will maintain over 800 square miles of coastal land. Jennings Senator Blade Morrish co-authored the legislation.
Cut 13 (07) “can afford”
A survey from the state department of education finds 88-percent of families are satisified with the quality of their child’s early education program. But despite that high number, four out of 10 families are not sure if their child is learning the necessary skils to prepare them for kindergarten.
cut 5 (10) “….quality benchmarks”
That’s Jenna Conway, who is the Assistant Superintendent of Early Childhood.

A statewide survey conducted by LSU’s Public Policy Research Lab finds support for higher taxes if the additional revenues will go towards public schools, colleges, health care and roads. But LSU pollster Michael Henderson says when it comes to raising taxes to pay for key services, it’s unclear what taxes the public would like to see raised….
cut 13 (05) “…sales tax”

In order to help the state with its budget problems, Amite Representative Robby Carter has proposed legislation that would put a tax on oil that’s processed at Louisiana refinieries. Carter has also filed a bill that would tax oil that passes through pipelines. Carter believes oil and gas companies have the money to pay for these additional taxes…
cut 8 (10) “….of profit”
Carter says he knows there will be heavy opposition to these proposals.

State Police investigated 10 fatal crashes resulting in the deaths of 15 people since Friday. Michelle Southern reports on the tragic weekend:

Voicer 2 (29) “I’m Michelle Southern”

The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts we could see 88-thousand fewer doctors by 2025. Dean of the School of Medicine at LSU Health New Orleans Doctor Steve Nelson says they are providing incentives to keep medical students in this state and there efforts are paying off…
cut 5 (06) “…their training”

A survey released by the LSU Public Policy Research Lab finds a majority of Louisiana residents are willing to pay higher taxes if the money went towards schools and health care. But the Louisiana Survey did not find a consensus on what taxes should be raised. Director of the research lab, Michael Henderson says there is support in raising the gasoline tax, but support from Republican voters falls when you ask about a 20-cent per gallon hike…
cut 14 (12) “….gasoline tax”

The Louisiana Workforce Commission says for the first time since August of 2015, the state saw over the year gains in nonfarm jobs and private employment. Construction, professional and business services showed the largest gains in the February jobs report, while mining and lodging which includes the oil and gas sector saw its first over the month gain since October 2014.

Over a decade ago, legislators discussed placing an oil processing tax on Louisiana refineries. Amite Representative Robby Carter has filed that bill for the upcoming legislative session and knows it will face fierce opposition from the oil and gas industry. But Carter says all options should be on the table when it comes to addressing the state’s budget problems….
Cut 6 (09) “going through”

It was a deadly weekend on our state highways. State Police say their troopers investigated 10 fatal crashes that resulted in 15 deaths of people. Sgt. Jared Sandifer says knowing that these crashes could have been avoided continues to frustrate law enforcement…:
CUT 11 (08) “change your life forever”
He says lack of seatbelt use, impairment and even excessive speed contributed to the crashes. Also several involved a vehicle crossing into the opposite lane of travel.

A survey finds a majority of Louisiana residents support higher taxes if the revenues go towards public schools, colleges, health care and roads. But Director of the LSU Public Policy Research Lab, Michael Henderson, says their poll doesn’t mean taxpayers are completely fine with just higher taxes to fund government…
Cut 12 (09) “somewhere else”
.

Seeing a doctor could become more difficult in years to come, as a nationwide shortage of doctors is expected to impact Louisiana. The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts we could see 88-thousand fewer doctors by 2025. Dean of the School of Medicine at LSU Health New Orleans, Dr. Steve Nelson, says one reason for that is the increased need for medical services.
Cut 3 (07) “only increase”

State Police say it was a deadly weekend on Louisiana’s roadways. From Friday through Monday morning, troopers investigated 10 fatal crashes that resulted in the deaths of 15 people. Sgt. Jared Sandifer says every one of these fatal crashes, that also claimed the lives of children and teenagers, were preventable…:
CUT 9 (09) “their seat belt”
Amite Representative Robby Carter has filed legislation to place a tax on refineries for the oil they process. It’s unclear how much money this proposal would generate for the state, but Carter says the idea is to create a larger tax base, so residents are paying fewer taxes…
cut 7 (11) “….this scenario”
Carter’s proposal is expected to face fierce.

A statewide survey conducted by LSU’s Public Policy Research Lab finds support for higher taxes if the additional revenues will go towards public schools, colleges, health care and roads. But LSU pollster Michael Henderson says when it comes to raising taxes to pay for key services, it’s unclear what taxes the public would like to see raised….
cut 13 (05) “…sales tax”

In order to help the state with its budget problems, Amite Representative Robby Carter has proposed legislation that would put a tax on oil that’s processed at Louisiana refinieries. Carter has also filed a bill that would tax oil that passes through pipelines. Carter believes oil and gas companies have the money to pay for these additional taxes…
cut 8 (10) “….of profit”
Carter says he knows there will be heavy opposition to these proposals.

From Friday afternoon to Monday morning, State Police troopers have investigated 10 separate crashes that led to 15 deaths. Sergeant Jared Sandifer says 15 deaths over a three-day period is highly unusual….
cut 10 (10) “…seatbelt”
Sandifer says several of the crashes involved vehicles crossing over into the opposite lane of travel.

The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts we could see 88-thousand fewer doctors by 2025. Dean of the School of Medicine at LSU Health New Orleans, Dr. Steve Nelson, says Medicaid expansion has put a strain on doctors…:
Cut 4 (10) “that service”
He also says doctors are aging, which means there are fewer of them still able to practice.

A survey released by the LSU Public Policy Research Lab finds a majority of Louisiana residents are willing to pay higher taxes if the money went towards schools and health care. But the Louisiana Survey did not find a consensus on what taxes should be raised. Director of the research lab, Michael Henderson says there is support in raising the gasoline tax, but support from Republican voters falls when you ask about a 20-cent per gallon hike…
cut 14 (12) “….gasoline tax”

We were expecting to hear from Governor John Bel Edwards today on the tax proposals that he will push in the legislative session that starts two weeks from today. But that announcement has been pushed back until Wednesday, giving the governor a chance to collect more data and conduct more closed-door meetings with legislators.
State Police investigated 10 fatal crashes resulting in the deaths of 15 people since Friday. Michelle Southern reports on the tragic weekend:
Voicer 2 (29) “I’m Michelle Southern”

The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts we could see 88-thousand fewer doctors by 2025. Dean of the School of Medicine at LSU Health New Orleans Doctor Steve Nelson says they are providing incentives to keep medical students in this state and there efforts are paying off…
cut 5 (06) “…their training”