Able-bodied adults without children will soon be required to participate in job training programs in order to get food stamps, because of an executive order signed by Governor John Bel Edwards. Jeff Palermo has more…

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Should schools still teach children how to write in cursive? The Senate Education Committee says “Yes” as they approved a bill by Franklinton Senator Beth Mizell that requires cursive writing to be taught to public school students by the third grade…

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The senate floor will hear the bill next.

The Senate approved a bill to expand the list of diseases medical marijuana can be used to treat. Slidell Senator Sharon Hewitt supports the bill because of the huge influx of emails she received from parents of children who need this medicine because medical marijuana is the only drug that works for them.

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The bill now moves to the House.

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 these kids 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.

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The measure now heads to the House.

The Senate Education Committee approved a bill that would require public schools to teach cursive writing by the third grade. 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 for their entire lives.

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Several states have a similar requirement.

A bill that would criminalize sanctuary cities in Louisiana was approved by the House Judiciary Committee today. A sanctuary city is considered a jurisdiction that doesn’t enforce immigration law without a court order. The measure sparked debate over whether this would promote racial profiling….

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That was Amite Representative Robby Carter who was going back and forth with Denham Springs Representative Valarie Hodges. The bill heads to the House floor for more discussion.

A bill by Parks Senator Fred Mills to include HIV, epilepsy, and other diseases in the list of diseases medical marijuana can treat passed in the Senate. 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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The measure now moves to the house.

The Senate unanimously passed a bill to protect kids with lemonade stands from being ticketed for not having an occupational license. The proposal exempts minors, who sell less than $500 a year worth of product, from having to pay the license tax. Houma Senator Norby Chabert says local officials need to exercise something that he says is lacking in government- common sense.

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The measure now heads to the House.

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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Governor John Bel Edwards signed an executive order that requires able-bodied adults without children to participate in work training in order to receive SNAP benefits. The order goes into effect July 1, and an estimated 47-thousand food stamp recipients will be affected.

The Senate approves a measure to expand the list of diseases medical marijuana can be used to treat. Metairie Senator Danny Martiny spoke in opposition. He says we shouldn’t legalize something just because other states are.

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The bill now moves to the House.

A House committee approved a measure that seeks to outlaw sanctuary cities in Louisiana. 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…:

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Opponents of the bill are worried about it opening the doors for racial profiling. The bill now moves to the full House.

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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The measure would add seizure disorders, HIV, epilepsy, muscular dystrophy and other diseases to the medical marijuana law passed last year. The bill is by Parks Senator Fred Mills who 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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The bill now moves to the House.

A bill that would mandate that public schools teach cursive writing by the third grade passed unanimously out of the Senate Education Committee. Franklinton Senator Beth Mizell authored the bill, because she 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…:
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The bill moves to the Senate floor.

Children have been getting tickets for selling lemonade on the side of the road according to one lawmaker who wants to see it stop. A Senate measure to exempt minors from paying taxes on sales less than $500 a year is headed to the House. Houma Senator Norby Chabert says local officials need to exercise something that he says is lacking more and more in government- common sense…:
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A measure that would outlaw sanctuary cities in Louisiana advanced out of a House committee. The term is applied to some cities in the US that have policies designed to not prosecute undocumented immigrants. The bill is by Denham Springs Representative Valarie Hudges who says sanctuary cities are a national security threat…:
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Attorney General Jeff Landry supports the bill saying this would give officers a tool to ask a possible offender what their immigration status is. But Amite Representative Robby Carter feels that would lead to racial profiling…:
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The bill will go before a full House vote now.

A bill that would mandate that public schools teach cursive writing by the third grade passed unanimously out of the Senate Education Committee. It now heads to the Senate floor.

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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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 this might be hard to believe…but:
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The measure now heads to the House.

A Corrections Cadet at the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center is under arrest and has been terminated for allegedly trying to sneak in the synthetic marijuana drug “Mojo” to an inmate. Officials say a security supervisor noticed that 26-year-old Tierra Lewis of Port Allen had dropped the drug package in the parking lot when she noticed other officers were being surprise searched. She confessed to the crime and is facing charges which could land her in jail for 10 years.

A lawmaker from Baton Rouge would like high school students to take a national survey on sexual risks. Representative Patricia Smith says the proposal could help reduce the high number of teen pregnancies and STDs in Louisiana…:
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Despite opposition from those who feel sex talks should happen in the home and not at school, the measure advanced out of House Education and now heads to the full House.

The bill which would give adult motorcyclists the option to wear a helmet narrowly failed in the House. Oil City Representative Jim Morris spoke in support of the bill saying many other states do not require a helmet, and Louisiana is pushing motorcycle tourists away…:
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But the opposition cited safety concerns and though the bill failed 49-46, it could come back up.

A bill that would let adult motorcycle riders decide if they want to wear a helmet or not failed to get enough votes to pass in the House. New Iberia Representative Terry Landry opposes the bill because of concerns about safety. He says wearing a helmet improves a rider’s chance of surviving a motorcycle accident….:
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The vote on the bill was 49 yeas and 46 nays, which was not enough to pass, but the it can be brought up again.

A House Committee advanced a bill that would help the Tensas Parish town of St. Joseph with their water problems. Residents in St. Joe have been dealing with brown murky water, and they say local officials have been slow to come up with a solution. The measure heading to the House Floor would give the state authority to intervene. There was no objection.

A bill that would prohibit state employers from asking job applicants about their criminal record until after the interview process moves to the full House. Baton Rouge Rep. Denise Marcelle is the author of the bill and she says the purpose is to get the person with a criminal record an interview and explain their story…:
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But those who oppose are worried the applicant would lie about their history.

The House Education Committee approved a bill to allow high school students to participate in a national survey on sexual risks. Louisiana resident Victoria Kelly also spoke in opposition to the bill. She says the questions are invasive, and she would have been embarrassed to take this survey when she was in high school…:
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Supporters believe it would help the teen pregnancy and STD problem.

A bill that would allow officials to charge a person with a hate crime if they target law enforcement heads to the House floor. Jeff Palermo has the story..:
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The bill that would expand the number of diseases that medical marijuana would cover under the law advances on its second try in the state Senate. On Tuesday, the upper chamber voted 19-16 in favor of the bill but it needed 20 to pass. Parks Senator Fred Mills brought his bill up again on 4/20 and the measure advanced 21-16. It now heads to the House.

Should high school students take a national survey on sex risks? A bill that would allow it cleared the House Education Committee on Wednesday. Baton Rouge Representative Rick Edmonds opposed because he says this issue should be discussed at home, not in school…:
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Supporters believe the legislation could reduce teen pregnancies and STD cases. The bill now heads to the House floor.

Harriet Tubman should begin appearing on the $20 bill around 2020, according to the US treasury department. Summer Steib with the LSU Women’s Center says this is an exciting time for women…:
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Rosa Parks, Susan B. Anthony, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Helen Keller were other candidates for the newly-designed currency.

State employers couldn’t ask job applicants about their criminal history until the interview process under a bill approved by a House committee. Baton Rouge Rep. Patricia Smith says the idea is to have a face to face discussion with potential employees first…:
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Opponents site concerns over the possibility that this would allow violent criminals to slide through undetected. The measure heads to the House floor.

Parishes in the central and western portions of our state are under a Flash Flood Watch through this afternoon. National Weather Service forecasters say soils are saturated in these areas, and additional rainfall today will be more likely to cause localized flooding.

A 26-year-old Vidalia woman was killed in a single vehicle crash in Concordia Parish last night, according to State Police. Investigators believe Lauren Franklin lost control of her vehicle before it overturned and became submerged in a bayou.

Harriet Tubman will replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill, according to the Department of Treasury. Halen Doughty has more…:
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A measure which would allow motorcyclists to ride without a helmet stalls in the state House, but the vote was close. Natchitoches Representative Kenny Cox, who opposes, told a story of a biker he knows whose life was saved because he was wearing a helmet…:
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The bill can be brought up again.