Most Louisiana residents approve of Medicaid expansion, according to an LSU survey. Director of the LSU Public Policy Research Lab, Dr. Michael Henderson says 72 percent of respondents for the 2017 Louisiana Survey approve of the expansion. He says the approval rating for the Affordable Care Act has increased over the past few years…:
Cut 12 (10) “more favorable”
He suspects this is because more people are learning about the ACA.

Attorney General Jeff Landry is once again suing Governor John Bel Edwards, and this time it’s over money. The AG’s office says the state is taking ownership of an escrow account with settlement money that Landry says is supposed to be for the Department of Justice’s use. Edwards’ responded saying the money does not belong to the DOJ and he’s more than willing to defend that in court.

73% of small businesses in the staet oppose a gas tax hike. Dawn Starns, State Director of the National Federation of Independent Business, says their survey indicated owners don’t feel increased revenue would actually go towards roads. She says state government needs to do more with what they have available to them…:
Cut 5 (08) “transparency”
She says most small businesses don’t feel that they have a traffic problem and don’t think additional revenue would benefit them.

The House Ways and Means Committee began looking at various tax proposals today that will be discussed over the next several weeks. Jackson Representative Kenny Havard is pushing legislation which he says is the most sensible approach of alleviating the tax burden on residents, and asks businesses to pay their fair share…:
Cut 10 (08) “that’s unfair”
A vote was not taken on Havard’s proposed legislation. There are over 140 tax bills filed in the House.

The majority of Louisiana small business owners oppose an increase to the state’s gasoline tax. Jeff Palermo has more…:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Meanwhile, the House Ways and Means Committee began a series of meetings today looking at various tax proposals that will be discussed over the next several weeks. Jackson Representative Kenny Havard is pushing legislation that would reduce taxes on individuals but increase taxes on businesses…:
Cut 9 (10) “do something”

An Easter egg hunt with numerous children in attendance turned violent when a Thibodaux man’s ex-girlfriend showed up armed with a shovel handle. David Melancon with Thibodaux Police says 33-year-old Junius Boyd was at the event in Peltier (Pel-chay) Park when 25-year-old Florence Robinson arrived, just hours after the two ended their relationship…:
Cut 6 (10) “his arm”
He says Boyd then got out of the vehicle and starting hitting Robinson with the shovel handle. They both face aggravated battery charges.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development officially released the $1.6 billion in flood recovery funds appropriated by Congress. The state is now asking each homeowner who received flood damage to fill out a survey at restore.la.gov to determine their eligibility for federal assistance.

At the start of the legislative session, Governor John Bel Edwards called for a bipartisan effort to repair the state’s annual problem of budget cuts, especially during the middle of a fiscal year. Ruston Representative Rob Shadoin hopes lawmakers can come together across party lines to do what’s best for the people…:
Cut 13 (07) “make progress”
But most Republicans don’t support many of the governor’s proposals to raise revenue but instead suggest reductions in state spending.

LSU Economist Dr. Loren Scott says, for the third time, one of the studies he’s conduced finds Louisiana is losing money from the film tax credit program. He admits that filming does create jobs…:
CUT 8 (08) “of jobs”
But he says the return of investment of film tax credits was just 22-percent in 2016.

A Chinese chemical company announces plans for a 1.1 billion dollar chemical plant to be constructed in Louisiana. Don Molino has more…:
Cut 1 (29) “I’m Don Molino”

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development has opened the line of credit for Louisiana to receive the $1.6 billion Congress appropriated for flood recovery. The Governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff Julie Baxter Payer says now is the time for flood victims to fill out the survey at restore.la.gov to see if they are eligible for homeowner assistance. She say the state should have a program manager in place in the next couple of weeks.

Today the House Ways and Means Committee begins delving into the Governor’s proposed tax plan. Halen Doughty has more…:
Cut 2 (29) “I’m Halen Doughty”

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office says a 17 month old was killed after being run over by a truck on a roadway in Slidell. The toddler is identified Koreyanna Kirsh. Detectives say the driver of the vehicle is 21-year-old Shae Fitzgerald. Authorities indicate no charges have been filed but the case is under investigation.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development officially released the $1.6 billion in flood recovery funds appropriated by Congress. Governor’s Chief of Staff Julie Baxter Payer says they are still working to get more money for victims…:
Cut 16 (11) “year’s flood”
The state is asking each homeowner who received flood damage to fill out a survey at restore.la.gov to determine their eligibility for federal assistance.

Great economic news for Louisiana as China’s Wanhua (Wan-hwah) Chemical plans to build a $1.1 billion plant here. State Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson says a project like this creates a multiplier effect in the number of jobs it produces…:
Cut 5 (12) “the community”
The exact location has yet to be determined.

HUD has finally released 1.6 billion dollars in flood recovery money. Jeff Palermo has more..:
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

A Chinese chemical company chooses Louisiana over Texas to build a 1.1 billion dollar manufacturing complex. State Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson says the project by Wanhua (Wan-hwah) Chemical Group will bring 170 new direct jobs to the state…:
Cut 4 (09) “a year”
The specific location of the site will be decided later in the year.

At the opening of the legislative session Monday, Governor John Bel Edwards urged lawmakers to compromise at the Capitol over the next two months. He wants to see the state’s tax structure changed to protect vital services and make sure TOPS is fully funded. Baton Rouge Representative Patricia Smith says the legislature has to do something to raise more revenue…:
Cut 12 (08) “can’t do it”
But Republicans are expected to push back hard against additional revenues saying instead the state needs to be more responsible with spending.

The film tax credit program will be under a microscope this session, and LSU Economist Dr. Loren Scott has conduced another study indicating the return on investment isn’t there for the state’s budget when it comes to movie incentives. He says Louisiana is subsidizing about 30 to 35-percent of the cost of making a film…:
Cut 9 (05) “your favor”
The film tax credit program is currently capped at 180 million dollars.

Today the House Ways and Means committee begins pouring over some of the proposals included in the governor’s tax plan. The ideas would increase taxes on many businesses, but lead to lower income taxes for 90% of consumers. Baton Rouge Representative Ted James believes there will be support for the changes when people hear exactly what this means…:
Cut 10 (11) “very top”
On the other side of the issue, West Monroe Senator Mike Walsworth says lawmakers need to be cautious about the measures…:
Cut 11 (10) “to business”
They have until June 8th to work it out.

The state wants the public to know that there is NO charge to fill out the flood victims’ survey online at restore.la.gov. The governor’s office says since the questionnaire went live Monday, reports have been coming in that some people are fraudulently charging homeowners to help fill it out.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has granted Louisiana access to start dispensing 1.6 billion dollars to flooded residents. Deputy Chief of Staff for the Governor, Julie Baxter Payer..::
Cut 14 (11) “appropriated”
Payer expects to have a contractor in place within the next week who will manage the Homeowner Assistance Program.

Another study by LSU economist Dr. Loren Scott finds the benefit to Louisiana’s budget isn’t there when it comes to state’s film tax credit program. He says the return on investment from movie incentives was just 22% in 2016…:
Cut 7 (07) “million bucks”
Lawmakers are slated to discuss film tax credits in the current session.

The legislative session is in full swing, and Governor John Bel Edwards told lawmakers now is the time to implement comprehensive tax reform, so Louisiana can end the cycle of midyear budget cuts. The governor’s proposals would increase taxes on many businesses, but lower rates for individuals.

Cut 13 (12) “days ahead”

The legislative session will last for two months.

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development has opened the line of credit for Louisiana to receive the $1.6 billion Congress appropriated for flood recovery. The Governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff Julie Baxter Payer says now is the time for flood victims to fill out the survey at restore.la.gov to see if they are eligible for homeowner assistance. She say the state should have a program manager in place in the next couple of weeks.

A Chinese chemical company chooses Louisiana over Texas to build a 1.1 billion dollar manufacturing complex. State Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson says this will help Louisiana grow as a global leader in chemical manufacturing and he says the project by Wanhua (Wan-hwah) Chemical Group will bring 170 new direct jobs to the state.

Cut 4 (09) “a year”

LED estimates the project will also result in 945 indirect jobs.

Another study by LSU economist Dr. Loren Scott finds the return isn’t there when it comes to state’s film tax credits program as the report shows it causes a significant hit to Louisiana’s budget. Scott says the return of investment was 22-percent in 2016.

Cut 7 (07) “million bucks”