A bill to prohibit an employer from refusing to hire or fire a person, because they are gay or transsexual will be heard in a House committee today. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 1 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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Educational TV shows in French for kids are now airing on Louisiana Public Broadcast. Jeff Palermo has more.

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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The House Transportation Committee will debate a bill today that would increase the fines for moving violations when a child under 15-years-old is in the vehicle. Halen Doughty has more…

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A bill that forces the LHSAA to end its public-private school playoff split will be heard on the House floor today. River Ridge Representative Kirk Talbot says his bill would prohibit schools from receiving public funds, if they belong to an athletic organization with split playoffs for select and non-select schools. Talbot says the LHSAA’s current playoff split is discriminatory…

cut 4  (05)  “somebody else”

The split began in football playoffs in 2013, and it is set to expand to include basketball, baseball and softball starting in 2016-17. Talbot says his goal with the legislation is not take away state funds from schools, but get the LHSAA to not separate its schools based on whether they are public or private….

Cut 5  (08)  “equal opportunity”

LHSAA member principals voted to expand the postseason split in January, but a special meeting will take place in June to vote on a metro-rural division plan, which would also combine 4A with 5A and B with C.  Talbot says he’s still moving forward with his bill, even though it appears the LHSAA is taking a positive step to rectify the situation…

Cut 6 (10)  “fair sake”

Opponents to the bill raised questions about whether the legislature should be involved in this controversy.

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A bill that would prohibit an employer from firing or refusing to hire an individual based on their sexual orientation or gender identity will be heard in the House Civil Law committee today. Matthew Patterson with Equality Louisiana says this needs to be done because discrimination against gay and transgendered people is pervasive.

CUT 7 (09)  “in place” 

Opposition is expected to come from pro-business groups. State director of the National Independence Business Dawn Starns says business owners are concerned this legislation will lead to frivolous lawsuits…

Cut 8  (10)  “like that” 

But Patterson says Shreveport and New Orleans have passed ordinances that are similar to this proposed law and it has not led to a flood of lawsuits…

Cut 9 (05)  “have locally”

Starns understands equality for the LGBT community is important but making this a law will create problems for businesses…

Cut 10 (06) “overnight”

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Louisiana Public Broadcasting is launching educational TV shows for kids in French. LPB’s program director Jason Viso says they are partnering with the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana to help more kids learn “en francais.” He says they have started showing several different kids’ shows that are in French.

cut 11 (09) “initial block”

The shows are airing on LPB 2 between 3pm and 5pm Monday through Friday and also on the weekends. Viso says French teachers are thrilled about helping future Francophones learn more about the language.

cut 12 (07) “about this”

According to CODOFIL, there are about 45-hundred students in French immersion programs in the state. Viso says kids learn French in school, but aren’t able to practice it elsewhere. He hopes this gives more students a chance to develop their language skills.

Cut 13 (07)  “the classroom”

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A bill to increase the fines for moving violations when a child under the age of 15 is in the car is being debated in the House Transportation Committee today. Baton Rouge Representative Paula Davis says she authored the proposal when several constituents called her after a child was killed in a car accident.

Cut 14 (08)  “speeding” 

Davis says children under age 15 need to be protected because until that age, they cannot be in control in a vehicle. She believes the increased fines will help stop dangerous driving with children in the car.

Cut 15 (08) “tripled”

Davis says she doesn’t expect much opposition to the bill. She says she hopes this bill will raise awareness about how dangerous these bad driving habits are, especially when kids are in the vehicle.

Cut 16  (09)  “the car”

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5th ranked LSU avoided a sweep to Mississippi State by beating the Bulldogs 11-8 on Sunday afternoon. The Tigers scored all of their runs in the three middle innings, after falling behind 3-0. Coach Paul Mainieri is happy his team pulled off the victory after tough losses on Friday and Saturday nights….

Cut 17 (13) “of em”

Russell Reynolds was the winning pitcher. He entered in the third inning for the starter John Valek and Reynolds went on to pitch 2.2 innings of scoreless baseball. Mainieri says Reynolds did a good job of holding the Bulldogs down, until the Tigers got the bats going…

Cut 18 (11) “key innings”

Jake Fraley was one of LSU’s hitting stars as he collected three hits on the afternoon. Fraley says it was a big win for the Tigers…

Cut 19 (09) “it into Tulane”

A campaign begins today in Louisiana that aims to get more pickup truck drivers to wear their seat belts. Don Molino has more…

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A new report by the National Center for Health Statistics shows the suicide rate is up 24-percent from 1999 to 2014 and experts say Louisiana is being affected too. Emelie Gunn has more…

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The Buckle Up in Your Truck campaign begins today in Louisiana. Executive Director of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, John Leblanc says drivers of pickup trucks use their seat belts less often than drivers of other vehicles. He says this campaign is important to get more truck drivers to wear their seat belts, because it could save their lives.

CUT 3 (10)  “trucks there”

Leblanc says 8 people have been killed in pickup truck accidents in the state since March. He says 25% of the registered vehicles in Louisiana are pickup trucks, and wearing a seat belt in these vehicles reduces the chance of fatality in an accident.

CUT 4 (07)  “a crash”

Leblanc says the goal of the campaign is voluntary compliance, but unfortunately they have seen an increase in truck drivers not buckling up for the past three years. He says wearing a seat belt is especially important in a pickup because those vehicles are taller than others.

CUT 5 (10)  “a window”

The campaign runs through April 28.

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There is more bad news when it comes to job loss in the oil and gas sector. LSU economist Loren Scott says the low gas prices we’ve seen since August of 2014 have really hammered the industry. He says major companies are cutting back their drilling budget dramatically.

CUT 6 (10) “like this”

Gulf Island LLC based in Houma and Carbo Ceramics in New Iberia plan to lay off nearly 300 workers in June. Scott says there is some opportunity for those laid off to find other work but not enough for everyone who lost their job.

CUT 7 (09) “and Lafayette”

40 to 50 jobs employees of Helmerich & Payne International Drilling Co. in the Gulf of Mexico will also be laid off. Scott says the state is losing jobs at the rate of about 21-thousand a year. And he says a lot of big companies are planning to stop drilling in the Gulf.

CUT 8 (08) “very heavily”

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The Humane Society of Louisiana is holding seminars for law enforcement throughout the state to address animal cruelty. The first seminar was held yesterday in New Iberia, and Jeff Dorson, Executive Director of the Humane Society of Louisiana, says they hope to help law enforcement be better prepared for handling cases of animal cruelty.

CUT 9 (10) “being mistreated”

Dorson says social media is helping them prosecute more cases of animal abuse because people are sharing evidence when they see it.

cut 10 (08) “quickly”

Dorson says they are teaching law enforcement officers about changes in the law, advances in technology, and how to handle case of animal abuse. He says there are also new developments in forensic pathology that can help them determine causes of death and what happened to animals that are brought in.

Cut 11 (10) “in need”

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A report by the National Center for Health Statistics finds the suicide rate in the US has increased by 24% from 1999 to 2014.  LSU Health New Orleans Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Dr. Michelle Moore says there isn’t a specific reason why the number has gone up….

cut 12 (07) “a roll”

In the past week, two male students at Mandeville High School killed themselves within 48 hours of each other. Moore says it’s important to stop and talk to each other about the way we’re feeling and watch if a loved one is acting different than usual. She says parents really need to monitor what kids are posting on social media.

Cut 13 (10)  “like this”

The report finds the suicide rate of women increased to 45-percent and males increased by 16-percent. Moore says the gap is narrowing between the genders.

cut 14 (08)  “of people”

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The Senate approved a measure to expand the list of diseases that medical marijuana can be used to treat. Halen Doughty has more…

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The Senate Education Committee unanimously approved a bill to require that students be taught cursive writing by the third grade. Jeff Palermo has more…

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Louisiana lawmakers are standing up for the little guys, and girls, looking to make a few dollars at their neighborhood lemonade stand. A bill unanimously passed in the Senate to exempt minors, who sell less than $500 a year worth of product, from having to pay an occupational license tax.  Norco Senator Gary Smith says some children in the state have been ticketed for selling lemonade without a license.

CUT 3 (08)  “lemonade stand”

Houma Senator Norby Chabert says local officials need to exercise something that he says is lacking more and more in government- common sense.

CUT 4 (10)  “being fined”

The measure now heads to the House.

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The bill to expand the list of diseases for which medical marijuana can be prescribed finally passed the Senate, after previously falling one vote short. Metairie Senator Conrad Appel opposes the bill, citing sources that says this would lead to increased use of the drug for non-medical purposes.

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Metairie Senator Danny Martiny spoke in opposition. He says we shouldn’t legalize something just because other states are.

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Parks Senator Fred Mills authored the legislation to include seizure disorders, HIV, epilepsy, muscular dystrophy, and other diseases. He says people are leaving the state to seek this treatment elsewhere. He read a text from the mother of an epileptic girl, who had to go to Colorado to get the medication she needs.

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Slidell Senator Sharon Hewitt supports the bill because of the huge influx of emails she received from parents of children who need this medicine. She says many of them said the medical marijuana is the only drug that works for their children.

CUT 8 (06) “for them”

The bill now moves to the House.

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A bill that would require public schools to teach cursive writing by the third grade passed unanimously out of the Senate Education Committee. Franklinton Senator Beth Mizell  is concerned about kids not using cursive for their signature, which she says is an identity that students carry with them through their entire lives.

CUT 9 (09) “an X”

Several states have a similar requirement. Mizell says cursive is becoming a lost art and children need to be able to read and write cursive.

cut 10 (07) “our part”

Mizell says the decline in the use of cursive is probably due to the increased use of technology. She says if kids can use an iPad, they should be able to use cursive.

Cut 11 (09) “to read”

The bill moves to the Senate floor.

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A measure that seeks to outlaw sanctuary cities in Louisiana advanced out of a House committee. The term is applied to cities in the US that have policies designed to not prosecute undocumented immigrants. Denham Springs Representative Valarie Hodges who says sanctuary cities are a national security threat…:

cut 12 (04) “in our country”

Attorney General Jeff Landry supports the bill saying this would give officers a tool to ask a possible offender what their immigration status is and to show ID. But Amite Representative Robby Carter feels that would lead to racial profiling…:

Cut 13 (10)  “tell us”

The bill will go before a full House vote now. Hodges feels the government should be able to ask about a person’s immigration status, but Carter feels this might unfairly target people…:

cut 14 (08)  “profiling”