Legislative report May 11

The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee is expected to vote on Wednesday on a new Congressional map. Friday’s public hearing on the map proposals displayed the racial tension. West Monroe Senator Jay Morris has proposed maps that either reduce by one or eliminate both Black-majority Congressional districts.

Morris was questioned by New Orleans Senator Gary Carter who pointed out that Morris is the behind several pieces of legislation that removes Blacks out of political office…

Cut 8 (12) “…Louisiana.”

Morris pushed back that racism is behind his legislation that reduces the number of Black Congressional districts or the new law that abolished the job of Criminal Court Clerk in Orleans Parish after Calvin Duncan was elected.

Carter got very upset and emotional as he continued to question Morris…

Cut 10 (17) “…your work.”

Senate Governmental Affairs Chairman Caleb Kleinpehter briefly stopped the meeting to let emotions subside.

 

A bill to would require a public school system to have an “A” grade in order to move to a four-day work week has been halted on the House floor. Supporters of the legislation say the four-day work week is not good for the student or the parent, but proponents of a four-day work week say it helps attract and retain teachers. Pollock Representative Gabe Firment…

Cut 14 (12) “…keep teachers”

The measure was put back on the calendar and it remains to be seen if it will be discussed again this session.

LRN AM Newscall May 11

The deadline to file and pay 2025 Louisiana state income tax is this Friday, May 15. Kace Kieschnick reports.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

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Debate continues this week on drawing a new Congressional map. Joe Gallinaro has the story…

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Joe Gallinaro.”

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A proposal that seeks to make it much more difficult to move to a four-day school week runs into resistance on the House floor. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 3 (35) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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The deadline to file your 2025 Louisiana state income tax is Friday May 15. Louisiana Department of Revenue spokesperson Byron Henderson says the best way to file and pay your taxes is online.

Cut 4 (10) “…access point.”

Taxpayers can also submit returns using commercially available tax prep software or by printing copies of forms available on the Tax Forms page at revenue-dot-Louisiana-dot-gov.

If you need an extension on filing your returns, you do not have to request one. State law provides an automatic six month extension for individuals who need extra time, but Henderson says that’s not an excuse to not pay your taxes on time.

Cut 5 (11) “…this friday.”

Henderson also reminds residents who may have changed addresses in the past year to update any contact information or changes on the Department of Revenue website.

Cut 6 (06) “…due a refunnd.”

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The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee is expected to vote on Wednesday on a new Congressional map. Friday’s public hearing on the map proposals showed the racial tension. West Monroe Senator Jay Morris has proposed maps that either reduce by one or eliminate both Black-majority Congressional districts. He says the Supreme Court ruled race should not be the primary factor in drawing political lines…

Cut 7 (11) “…these maps.”

Morris was questioned by New Orleans Senator Gary Carter who pointed out that Morris is the behind several pieces of legislation that removes Black people from political office…

Cut 8 (12) “…Louisiana.”

Morris pushed back that racism is behind his legislation that reduces the number of Black Congressional districts or the law that abolished the job of Criminal Court Clerk in Orleans Parish after Calvin Duncan was elected to the position. Carter asked Morris what is behind is intentions…

Cut 9 (09)  “…you actions.”

Eventually Carter got very upset and emotional as he continued to question Morris…

Cut 10 (17) “…your work.”

Senate Governmental Affairs Chairman Caleb Kleinpehter briefly stopped the meeting to let emotions subside.

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If the Louisiana Legislature approves a Congressional map with one Black majority Congressional District, it will likely put Louisiana’s two Black U-S members in the same district. But Cleo Fields told Jim Engster, the host of Talk Louisiana on WRKF that he would not run against Troy Carter…

Cut 11 (11) “…I don’t.”

Despite the Supreme Court ruling that the state’s current Congressional map an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, Fields believes the map can be drawn so that two of the state’s six Congressional districts are represented by African Americans…

Cut 12 (11) “…to do it.”

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An effort to slow down the trend of public-school districts moving to a four-day week stalled on the House floor. Pollock Representative Gabe Firment explained to a supporter of the bill, Mandeville Representative Kim Carver, that many rural school districts went to a four-day a week schedule to attract and retain school teachers. Firment says it also helps with teacher morale…

Cut 13 (13) “..to them.”

The bill is by Senator Beth Mizell. Her legislation would allow a school system to move from a five-day school week to a four-day school week, if they were an “A” graded school system.

During the debate Firment was one of the more vocal opponents of the legislation…

Cut 14 (12) “…keep teachers.”

As the debate went on, amendments kept getting to the legislation to exempt more school systems from the bill and charter schools. Eventually Reserve Representative Sylvia Taylor says the issue needs to be studied before a law is passed…

Cut 15 (10) “…more study.”

The bill was returned to the calendar and it’s unknown if it has enough support to pass. Fifteen school systems have kids attend classes four days a week and 12 school districts have gone to a four day a week since 2020.

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Saints held a rookie minicamp over the weekend over the weekend headlined by Arizona State wide receiver and eight overall pick Jordyn Tyson. Tyson missed a third of the games over his college career due to MCL, collarbone and hamstring injuries, so head coach Kellen Moore is excited to get a better look at the newest black and gold playmaker.

Cut 16 (19) “…process for him.”

New Orleans also drafted LSU wide receiver Barion Brown in the sixth round of last month’s draft. Brown was an exceptional receiver and return man for Kentucky and LSU and Moore says they’re planning to use his speed as many ways as they can. Brown says he’s willing to do whatever to help his new team.

Cut 17 (12)  “…aspects of it.”

North Dakota State wideout Bryce Lance was selected in the fourth round to form a trio of explosive weapons for second-year quarterback Tyler Shough. With All-pro Chris Olave and a few veterans returning from injury, Moore expects big things from the Saints receiver room.

Cut 18 (18)  “…group for us.”

4:45 LRN Sportscast

LSU baseball begins a do or die series tonight against 5th ranked Georgia. The Tigers have to win four of their last six games for a shot at making the NCAA Tournament. There is some good news, one of LSU’s best hitters is healthy enough to play after missing Tuesday’s game with a back injury. That’s Omar Serna. Before leaving for Athens, Coach Jay Johnson was optimistic Serna could play….

Cut 18 (19)   (chuckles’

Starting pitcher Casan Evans is questionable for tonight’s game. The sophomore right-hander has missed the last two weekends with arm soreness. William Schmidt gets the start on the mound and he’ll face an offense that leads the nation with 131 home runs.

Another basketball player in the transfer portal has committed to Will Wade and the LSU men’s basketball team. His name is Abdi Bashir who averaged 13 points a game last season at Kansas State and made 44-percent of his three-point shots. The six-foot-seven shooting guard will be senior next season and he’s Wade’s fourth commitment.

Louisiana Tech begins a three-game series tonight against Liberty. The Flames are second in the Conference USA standings with an 18-6 record. The Bulldogs are 15-9. Liberty has won its last seven Conference USA weekend series and they have one of the best pitchers in the league in Ben Blair.

ULM is also out east as the Warhawks are visiting Marshall. ULM is batting to get in the Sun Belt Tournament. The top ten teams make the league tournament and the Warhawks are in a four-way tie for tenth place. Marshall is in 9th place in the league standings with a 11-13 record.

The Ragin Cajuns who are 12-12 in league play are at App State, who is 15-9 in the Sun Belt and in third place.

LRN PM Newscall May 8

WalletHub is out with its rankings of the best and worst states for working mothers. Andrew Greenstein reports to find Louisiana on the list, look to the very bottom.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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Public discussion is underway on drawing up a new Congressional District map. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (38) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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We’ll see multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms this Mother’s Day weekend as a weak front has stalled near the coast and it’s interacting with a very moist air mass. LSU Health climatologist Barry Keim says multiple inches of rain is possible…

Cut 3 (11) “…welcome the rain.”

Keim says the threat of severe weather is low…

Cut 4 (12) “…the state.”

Keim says there is a chance for high winds, hail and we can’t rule out the possibility of a tornado.  He says excessive rainfall is possible in southeast Louisiana, the rest of the state will be dodging rain drops…

Cut 5 (10) “…through the weekend.”

The rain will be out of the state on Monday.

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When it comes to being a state that’s friendly to working moms, Louisiana has its work cut out for it. A new study by WalletHub ranks Louisiana dead last for working mothers. Analyst Chip Lupo says the study ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia across three key dimensions

Cut 6 (14) “…female unemployment rate.”

In the other two key dimensions, Louisiana ranked 50th in child care and 40th in work-life balance. Lupo says the gender pay gap is one thing that really stands out in this study.

Cut 7 (09) “…extremely difficult”

Lupo says in order for Louisiana to dig out of the basement in these rankings, it’s going to need to create a business climate that’s better for work overall, using Florida as an example.

Cut 8 (12) “…for employees .”

The best state for working moms – Connecticut. In fact, five of the six New England states took five of the six top spots in the rankings.

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Two people connected with last month’s mass shooting in Shreveport where a gunman killed eight children has been indicted by a federal grand jury. U-S Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, Zachary Keller, says one of men indicted is Charles Ford. It’s believed the gun Shamar Elkins used on April 19th belonged to Ford…

Cut 9 (06)  “…shooting”

Ford was indicted on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and making false statements to federal agents because he allegedly lied to investigators during questioning.

Michael Mayence has also been indicted. Elkins drove to Mayence home in Bossier City after killing eight children—including seven of his own. Keller says Mayence was also in possession of guns while being subject to a domestic violence injunction…

Cut 10 (07) “…prohibited person.”

ATF Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson says Mayence is an Iraq War veteran and former Louisiana National Guard member who knew Elkins for years…

Cut 11 (11) “…that he took.”

The funeral of the eight children will be held Saturday.

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The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee held a lengthy and sometimes contentious meeting on Friday over proposed Congressional maps to replace the current one struck down by the U-S Supreme Court. The nation’s highest court called it an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. New Orleans Senator Royce Duplessis urged the panel to approve another Congressional map that has two majority Black Districts, one in the Baton Rouge area and the other in New Orleans…

Cut 12 (09) “…preferred candidates.”

Four past and present Black Louisiana Congressman testified in support of a map with two majority minority districts. New Orleans Congressman Troy Carter says it’s simple math, one third of the state is black, therefore Blacks should represent one-third of Louisiana’s House delegation…

Cut 13 (13) “…very basic.”

But the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee is also considering map proposals with just one majority minority district or zero. West Monroe Senator Jay Morris is the author of these proposals and was questioned on how he can support a map where districts are set up so a Republican can represent every district…

Cut 14 (11) “…six conservative districts .”

Morris says the U-S Supreme Court decision said race can not be the primary factor in drawing up political boundaries, but partisan politics can be used…

Cut 15 (10) “…Callais decision.”

The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee will vote on map proposals at its next meeting on Wednesday.

2:30 LRN Newscast

Debate got underway today in Senate Governmental Affairs on drawing up a new Congressional map.

Four past and present Black Louisiana Congressman testified in support of a map with two majority minority districts. New Orleans Congressman Troy Carter says it’s simple math, one third of the state is black, therefore Blacks should represent one-third of Louisiana’s House delegation…

Cut 13 (13) “…very basic.”

But the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee is also considering map proposals with just one majority minority district or zero. West Monroe Senator Jay Morris is the author of these proposals and was questioned on how he can support a map where districts are set up so a Republican can represent every district in the state…

Cut 14 (11) “…six conservative districts .”

 

Two people connected with last month’s mass shooting in Shreveport where a gunman killed eight children has been indicted by a federal grand jury. U-S Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, Zachary Keller, says one of men indicted is Charles Ford. It’s believed the gun Shamar Elkins used on April 19th belonged to Ford…

Cut 9 (06)  “…shooting”

Ford was indicted on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and making false statements to federal agents because he allegedly lied to investigators during questioning.

 

Michael Mayence has also been indicted

When it comes to being a state that’s friendly to working moms, Louisiana has its work cut out for it. A new study by WalletHub ranks Louisiana dead last for working mothers. Analyst Chip Lupo says the study ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia across three key dimensions

Cut 6 (14) “…female unemployment rate.”

In the other two key dimensions, Louisiana ranked 50th in child care and 40th in work-life balance.

1:30 LRN Newscast

The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee held a lengthy and sometimes contentious meeting on Friday over proposed Congressional maps to replace the current one struck down by the U-S Supreme Court. The nation’s highest court called it an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. New Orleans Senator Royce Duplessis urged the panel to approve another Congressional map that has two majority Black Districts, one in the Baton Rouge area and the other in New Orleans…

Cut 12 (09) “…principals

But West Monroe Republican Senator Jay Morris says the U-S Supreme Court decision said race can not be the primary factor in drawing up political boundaries, but partisan politics can be used…

Cut 15 (10) ‘…Callais decision”

Morris has map proposals that give Republicans a 6-0 or 5-1 advantage over Democrats. The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee will vote on Wednesday on map proposals.

 

WalletHub is out with its rankings of the best and worst states for working mothers. Andrew Greenstein reports to find Louisiana on the list, look to the very bottom.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

LSU baseball will be taking on one of the best teams in the country tonight as they visit 5th ranked Georgia, who leads the nation in home runs with 131. Coach Jay Johnson is asking his team to play fearless…

Cut 16 (05) “…afraid of”

First pitch is at 5 PM.

12:30 LRN Newscast

We are seeing heavy rainfall at this hour north of I-10 stretching from Lake Charles to Baton Rouge. In northeast Louisiana, the rain is coming down pretty good in the Winnsboro area. LSU health climatologist Barry Keim says heavy rainfall is possible throughout the weekend, but the chances of severe weather are low…

Cut 4 (12) “…the state

New coins are in circulation that commemorate America’s 250th birthday. There are five different quarters that will be released. Two of them are out right now that feature designs of the Mayflower Compact and one that recognizes the Revolutionary War. US Mint director Paul Hollis says the half-dollar features a close-up of the Statue of Liberty and the dime is called the Emerging Liberty…

Cut 12 (11) “…nation’s story.”

 

The National Retail Federation says spending this Mother’s Day weekend is expected to reach 38-billion dollars, which would be a new record. Research Analyst Lea Grgich says Mother’s Day remains a priority for many sons and daughters…

Cut 14 (10) “…three years ago.”

Jewelry leads Mother’s Day spending at seven point five billion dollars, followed by special outings at six billion and electronics at four billion. Three-billion will be spent on flowers.

According to the personal finance website Wallethub, Louisiana is the worst state for a working mother. Analyst Chip Lupo says the gender pay gap is one thing that really stands out in this study…

Cut 7 (09) “…extremely difficult”

Lupo says Louisiana also ranked 50th in child care and 40th in work-life balance.

 

11:40 LRN Sportscast

The LSU Tigers begin a three-game series at 5th ranked Georgia tonight. The Bulldogs are 18-6 in the SEC and they are likely a national seed in the NCAA Tournament. LSU is 9-15 in the league and considered a longshot to make an NCAA Regional. Coach Jay Johnson says his team has nothing to lose…

Cut 17 (24)  “…this team.”

Omar Serna is not on the injury report, which is a sign he’s good to go for this series after missing Tuesday night’s win against Tulane with a sore back. Pitcher Casan Evans is listed as questionable.

 

Louisiana Tech begins a three-game series tonight against Liberty. The Flames are second in the Conference USA standings with an 18-6 record. The Bulldogs are 15-9. Liberty has won its last seven Conference USA weekend series and they have one of the best pitchers in the league in Ben Blair.

ULM is also out east as the Warhawks are visiting Marshall. ULM is batting to get in the Sun Belt Tournament. The top ten teams make the league tournament and the Warhawks are in a four-way tie for tenth place. Marshall is in 9th place in the league standings with a 11-13 record.

The Ragin Cajuns who are 12-12 in league play are at App State, who is 15-9 in the Sun Belt and in third place.

Southeastern Louisiana is all alone in first place in the Southland after beating Nicholls 12 to 2. The Lions will be one of two host sites for the Southland tournament that begins next week.

And McNeese softball is one win away from an NCAA Tournament after beating Lamar 1 to nothing in 10 innings last night. Game two of the best of three series is tonight at 6 PM.

11:30 LRN Newscast

Public discussion began this morning in the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee on approving a new Congressional district map. So far much of the discussion has been on a redrawn map that has two Majority-minority districts. But Jeremy Alford with La-politics-dot-com says there’s a possibility lawmakers approve a six district map where Democrats are unable to represent any of the districts…

Cut 8 (09) “….favor a Republican”

A map is not expected to approved today by Senate Governmental Affairs. That’s expected to happen on Wednesday.

The National Retail Federation expects sons and daughters to spend a record 38-billion dollars on Mother’s Day gifts. Research analyst Lea Grgich says flowers remain the most popular gift and another popular one is jewelry…

Cut 15 (11) “…4.4 billion”

 

Be on the lookout for special coins that commemorate America’s 250th birthday. Joe Gallinaro has the story…

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Joe Gallinaro.”

Crawfish prices are up 50-cents a pound for Mother’s Day weekend. According to the Crawfish App, consumers can expect to pay $3.14 per pound for live crawfish and $5.52 per pound for boiled crawfish.

The Saints have signed their first-round draft pick. Wide receiver Jordyn Tyson has agreed to a four-year, 32-million dollar contract according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

10:30 LRN Newscast

The Louisiana Senate has unanimously approved legislation that would give teachers and other public-school employees six weeks of paid parental leave after giving birth, adopting or fostering a child. Right now, they have to use sick days or take partially paid leave.  The bill’s author, Shreveport Senator Sam Jenkins, says that is not right…

Cut 6 (06) “…illness.”

The measure heads to the House floor for more discussion.

Special coins commemorating America’s 250th birthday are already in circulation and more will come out as we get closer to July 4th. U-S Mint Director Paul Hollis of Mandeville will be at the New Orleans Jazz Museum, also known as the old U-S Mint, from 4 to 6 PM today. He says the public will have the opportunity to purchase the circulating 2026 Emerging Liberty Dime and 2026 Revolutionary War Quarter.

Cut 13 (13) “…seeing them.”

It’s Mother’s Day weekend and have you gotten your mom that special gift. Jewely leads Mother’s Day spending and spending on flowers is projected to reach three-point-two billion dollars according to the National Retail Federation. Research analyst Lea Grgich says gifts of experience are also popular…

Cut 16 (10) “…at 39-percent”

We’ll see multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms this Mother’s Day weekend as a weak front has stalled near the coast and it’s interacting with a very moist air mass. LSU Health climatologist Barry Keim says multiple inches of rain is possible…

Cut 3 (11) “…welcome the rain”