Harriet Tubman will replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill, according to the Department of Treasury. Halen Doughty has more…
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”
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A bill that would allow law enforcement and prosecutors to charge a person with a hate crime if they target police officers and firefighters heads to the House floor. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”
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The House failed to pass a bill that would allow motorcycle riders over 21 years old to choose whether or not to wear a helmet. Emelie Gunn has more…
Cut 3 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”
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The US Treasury has announced anti-slavery activist Harriet Tubman will appear on the $20 bill. Summer Steib with the LSU Women’s Center says the original plan was to replace Alexander Hamilton with a woman on the $10 bill, but the new Broadway hit “Hamilton” boosted his popularity.
cut 4 (06) “on there”
Harriet Tubman was an African American abolitionist who worked to rescue slaves in the late 1800s. Rosa Parks, Susan B. Anthony, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Helen Keller were other candidates for the newly-designed currency. Steib says this is an exciting time for women.
Cut 5 (12) “movement”
Steib says the new bill will not be issued until 2020 at the earliest. She says this is the first time a woman has appeared on US paper currency in over 100 years.
Cut 6 (10) “very important”
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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. Patricia Smith supports the legislation and says the idea is to have a face to face discussion about the applicant’s criminal background.
CUT 7 (08) “background check”
The bill passed out of the House Governmental Affairs committee, despite objections from republican lawmakers. But Baton Rouge Rep. Barry Ivey is worried about violent criminals sliding through undetected. He’s concerned former inmates will not reveal their criminal history during the interview.
Cut 8 (10) “you don’t”
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…
Cut 9 (10) “decision”
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The House Education Committee approved a bill to allow high school students to participate in a national survey on sexual risks. Baton Rouge Representative Patricia Smith says there is no sexual education in Louisiana public schools.
Cut 10 (09) “absolutely nothing”
Smith says Louisiana has a high number of teen pregnancies and STD cases, with East Baton Rouge Parish leading in teen births and Madison Parish leading in chlamydia. She says this legislation could help reduce those numbers.
cut 11 (11) “deal with it”
The survey asks questions such as how many sexual partners someone has had, at what age the respondent became sexually active, and what methods they take to prevent pregnancy. Baton Rouge Representative Rick Edmonds opposed the bill because he says this issue should be discussed at home, not in school.
cut 12 (08) “over that”
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.
Cut 13 (10) “sexual education”
The bill now moves to the House floor.
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A bill to allow adult motorcycle riders to decide if they want to wear a helmet or not failed to get enough votes to pass in the House. Jackson Representative Kenny Havard supports the legislation because he says it’s a matter of choice.
Cut 14 (11) “my choice”
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.
Cut 15 (09) “a helmet”
Oil City Representative Jim Morris spoke in support of the bill. He says many other states do not require a helmet, and he says requiring one in Louisiana is pushing motorcycle-riding tourists away.
Cut 16 (09) “carry it”
Natchitoches Representative Kenny Cox spoke in opposition. He told a story of a biker he knows whose life was saved because he was wearing a helmet.
Cut 17 (07) “he lived”
The vote on the bill was 49 yeas and 46 nays, which was not enough to pass, but the bill can be brought up for vote again.
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