Lafayette Police are now in the national spotlight of reality television. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 1 (33) “I’m Kevin Barnhart.”
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US House Democrats vote to raise the minimum wage to 15 dollars an hour by 2025. Matt Doyle spoke to people on both sides of the issue here at home…
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Louisiana Congressmen push for the Bayou State to get a much bigger portion of the revenue being generated in the Gulf from oil drilling. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 3 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”
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The A&E reality show Live PD is now filming in Lafayette. Airing Friday and Saturday nights, the show gives viewers a live look at real situations with police officers as they unfold. Lafayette Police Corporal Bridgette Dugas says the department is excited to be in the national spotlight.
Dugas says the production is extensive, bouncing between different cities as the action takes place live.
Cut 5 (10) “… between two officers.”
The show began filming with Lafayette PD this most recent weekend, despite the threat of Hurricane Barry. Dugas says hopes the program will showcase the city in a positive light.
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Proposed minimum wage hikes have yet to escape the lower chamber in Louisiana, but in the US House, lawmakers pass legislation increasing the pay floor to 15 an hour by 2025. LSU Economist Dr. Loren Scott says it’s bad policy and cites Congressional Budget Office numbers showing it would destroy 1.3 million jobs…
The CBO’s projects resulting job losses from a 15 dollar an hour minimum wage between “about zero and 3.7 million.”
But Louisiana Budget Project Executive Director Jan Moller says predictions about job losses have been wrong in the past because they don’t consider the economic benefits of paying workers more money.
Seattle’s unemployment rate is 1.3 percent lower than the Washington State average.
The CBO report says the increase would raise wages for up to 27 million people, and lift 1.3 million out of poverty. Moller says that kind of result would be particularly beneficial to the state economy.
The wage hike would increase one dollar and fifteen cents in the first year from it’s current 7.25 an hour, and a dollar ten cents every year after that before hitting 15 an hour in 2025.
But Scott says raising the minimum wage would be disruptive, and unnecessary considering wages are already rising in the aftermath of 2017 Congressional tax reform package.
The Senate Majority Leader says the bill will not be brought up in the Upper Chamber, and the White House has vowed to veto it.
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Congressman Garret Graves is pushing for Louisiana to get a bigger slice of the revenue from offshore oil, and if the legislation clears Congress it could mean 80-150 million more a year for the state.
Graves says if this legislation gets signed into law, the state would receive the funds specifically for helping the resiliency of coastal areas.
States get a much bigger share of revenue from onshore drilling, which benefits state like Texas, but isn’t great for Louisiana. Graves says this legislation would level the playing field for offshore drilling states.
Gulf oil drilling accounts for 18 percent of the US crude supply, but in 2016 coastal states only received 11 million of the 2.7 billion dollars in royalty revenue generated in the Gulf.
Graves says coastal wetlands loss is an emergency, and redirecting funds to coastal restoration is a situation where the feds can pay some now, or pay a lot more later when natural disasters strike…
The legislation is being introduced in tandem with Congressman Cedric Richmond.
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State Education Superintendent John White testified before Congress this week about the state’s teacher preparation efforts. White says Louisiana is trying to avoid having teachers leave the profession after a year or two, despite spending four years in college getting ready for the occupation…
Cut 14 (06) “…in the classroom.”
White says in 2014, the state surveyed its teachers in order to gather feedback on their preparation experiences.
Cut 15 (11) “…a mentor educator.”
In 2017, Louisiana began requiring a year of residency under state-certified mentors for all aspiring teachers. Additionally, eight rural districts are trying alternative certification programs that include a year of mentorship.
White encouraged Congress to consider better federal support for similar models nationwide, saying it may be beneficial in retaining teachers to the trade.