Governor John Bel Edwards lays out his legislative priorities for the regular session during his State of the State address. More from Kevin Gallagher…:
Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”
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State Representative Rick Edmonds has introduced a bill to tackle the state’s growing teacher shortage. David Grubb has more…
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Previous legislation to ban access to sexually explicit content on state-issued phones and computers gave universities an exception to the rule under the guise of research. Brooke Thorington has more on legislation to remove the exception.
Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
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The Louisiana State Police has hired a firm to conduct a comprehensive and independent review and assessment of LSP policies, procedures, training, and overall culture. Here’s trooper Dustin Dwight.
Cut 4 (09) “…organizational areas.”
The LSP says this is an extension of Colonel Lamar Davis’ action plan to restore trust in the agency and provide an outline for reform and the assessment is well worth its cost.
The Bowman Group will conduct the review. Trooper Dwight says Bowman was the right choice for the job.
Cut 6 (10) “…marijuana legislation.”
When the assessment is concluded LSP will share the recommendations with the public.
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In his annual state of the State speech, Governor John Bel Edwards lays out some of his priorities for lawmakers to address. In addition to giving teachers & school staff a pay raise, Mr. Edwards says he also wants to give a $100-a-month pay hike to first responders; like law enforcement officers and firefighters. He says he ways to “put to rest this talk of defunding police”…:
Cut 7 (14) “…the public deserves it.”
Edwards says he wants to invest over $1-billion in one-time dollars coming into state coffers on major infrastructure projects, such as…:
Cut 8 (15) “…across our state.”
Edwards says the dollars are to be strategically placed so as to best leverage federal money for Louisiana.
Another priority for the Governor is to dedicate $550-million in federal American Rescue Plan funds to refill Louisiana’s depleted Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund., which took a hard hit from the COVID pandemic…:
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A recent state report showed that nearly 50-thousand students go without their regular teacher each day, and roughly 25 percent of teachers in the classroom are either uncertified or teaching outside of their field. State Representative Rick Edmonds says the crisis is only getting worse.
To help plug the hole in the dyke, Edmonds wants to create inducements to bring retired educators back to school. He says some rules would have to be temporarily relaxed in order to provide those incentives, including one that caps what teachers can earn if they do return to a public school position.
Cut 11 (12) “… a bit more money.”
Edmonds says the measure would only apply to those who retired by December 31 of 2021 and be limited to three years, to see if there is an impact. He also says there is strong support for the measure from local superintendents, teachers’ unions, and the Department of Education.
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Franklinton Senator Beth Mizell is hoping to ban access to sexually explicit or pornographic content by anyone using state-issued phones and or computers at colleges and universities. Mizell says while it’s already enforced among state offices it now adds postsecondary education to the adopting the policy.
Cut 13 (10) “…not acceptable.”
And while Mizell thought the bill would not be controversial whatsoever she has encountered pushback from groups saying a filter forbidding access of sexually explicit or pornographic content colleges is a first amendment violation.
Cut 14 (12) “…taxpayer money.”
In 2018 legislation prohibiting the access of material deemed sexually explicit via state-issued devices went into effect with colleges given the exception for research purposes. But Mizell says it’s time for that to change now, especially in light of the Title IX violations at LSU.
Cut 15 (10) “…unintended purposes.”
The bill has been referred to the Committee on Education.
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The New Orleans Saints met with Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson on Monday night, according to reports. Watson is a very talented quarterback that comes with some baggage. A grand jury recently decided not to pursue charges against him for sexual misconduct allegations made by nearly two dozen women, but he still faces a civil suit and possible NFL suspension. Rod Walker, who covers the Saints for The Advocate says the pursuit of the controversial QB was unexpected.
Cut 16 (19) “…surprised by it.”
Besides the off-the-field issues, Walker says the cost for the cap-strapped Saints to acquire Watson won’t be cheap.
Watson is scheduled to earn roughly $34 million per season over the next four years. If the Saints acquire the 28-year-old quarterback, Walker says they’re doing it to win a championship right now.
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Number three seed LSU will have to wait until Saturday for their NCAA opening-round matchup with Jackson State. By the time they tip-off, it will have been more than two weeks since the Tigers took the court. Coach Kim Mulkey says the rest vs rust debate isn’t something she had to consider during her time at Baylor.
Cut 19 (18)_“…you play again.”
Following the ouster of Will Wade and associate head coach Bill Armstrong, Kevin Nickleberry will lead LSU into the NCAA tournament. When Wade was suspended for the 2019 tournament the Tigers rallied and advanced to the Sweet 16. Nickleberry is confident he and the staff can bring the team together under these circumstances as well.