Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields files legislation for police reform and a resolution to create a Task Force to study police practices. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Brooke Thorington”
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LSU begins tracking COVID-19 in the wastewater within the sewers of Baton Rouge. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”
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A series of bills cutting taxes for Louisiana businesses is headed to the House floor. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 3 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”
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Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields plans file police reform legislation in response to George Floyd’s death. However, the current special session is limited to specific legislation that was outlined before Floyd’s death. But he has filed a resolution to create a 15-member task force to study police practices.
Cut 4 (07) “…so to speak.”
As for legislation for police reform, Fields encourages police departments to act now before his bill is introduced in a possible special session in the fall or in the 2021 regular session. He wants to see policies that include a “duty to intervene” among officers.
Cut 5 (08) “…or procedures.”
Fields says his legislation will also call for a statewide ban on the use of chokeholds by law enforcement, psychological testing for both prospective and current officers on a routine basis and new regulations for body cameras.
Cut 6 (12) “…in real-time.”
Fields also wants to diversify the Police Officers Standards and Training Council. Currently, the council does not have any African American representation.
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LSU professors are now tracking COVID-19 through wastewater in Baton Rouge through a science called sewer epidemiology. Professor of civil and environmental engineering Dr. John Pardue says when people contract the virus, they are constantly shedding virus, including into sewage. The testing can measure the viral load from a sample of an area’s pumping station.
Cut 7 (08) “…get pretty precise.”
Pardue says current measurements indicate a drop in the virus, which is in agreement with testing metrics.
Cut 8 (11) “…about to come.”
Pardue says sewer epidemiology is not a new science, and can be used to track other metrics in a community.
Cut 9 (12) “…are doing that.”
Environmental engineering faculty from universities in Houston, Oregon, and Michigan are doing similar tests.
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Governor Edwards signs legislation ending the auto insurance “Patriot Penalty” where military who were deployed overseas would return home to higher auto insurance rates.
Anyone who is uninsured for six months or more must pay a higher rate upon reinsuring. Alexandria Senator Jay Luneau says that hammered the armed forces…
Cut 10 (09) “…rates.”
Others who drop insurance for six months or more will still be charged at a higher rate.
Luneau says the legislation does not interfere with any other auto insurance benefits military members may be receiving.
Cut 11 (08) “…overseas.”
Luneau says this was common-sense legislation and bemoaned the fact that other common-sense legislative auto insurance fixes were rejected this year.
Cut 12 (10) “…drive more”
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The House Ways and Means Committee moves a series of tax relief bills for Louisiana businesses worth millions of dollars.
Chairman of the Louisiana Economic Recovery Task Force Jason Decuir says the state owes it to these businesses to lend a helping hand after many were ordered closed or limited for months.
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Those relief bills took many forms including a suspension of the franchise tax.
Revenue Secretary Kimberly Robinson, speaking on behalf of the Edwards Administration, says passing and maintaining these tax cuts could unbalance the state budget for years to come.
Cut 14 (10) “…session”
The AP reports the tax relief measures could cost the state 130 million dollars over the next five years were they to be passed and maintained.
Concerns were raised that the state just can’t afford tax cuts at a time when we’re seeing a substantial decline in revenue. Lafayette Representative Stuart Bishop disagrees.
Cut 15 (10) “…leave”
The bills are headed to the House floor.
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Tonight is the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft, which is just five rounds this year. In previous years, the draft has been 40 rounds. Tomorrow will be rounds two through five and D-1 Baseball-dot-com draft expert Kendall Rogers expects LSU players Cole Henry and Daniel Cabrera will get drafted. Rogers believes Henry is the better prospect…
Cut 16 (22) love his makeup”
Rogers says Cabrera could have improved his draft stock with a great junior season, but it was cut short by COVID-19
Cut 17 (19) “…for him”
The high school Gatorade Player of the Year in Louisiana, Brody Drost, could be drafted in the third or fourth round. The former Barbe standout is a left-hander pitcher and he can play in the outfield. Rogers says Drost is also committed to LSU, so does he want to play pro ball or go to school…
Cut 18 (13) “…quickly”