One week to go in the legislative session. Jeff Palermo has more on what will likely be a busy final week.
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The SEC spring meetings kick off today, and doubling the size of the College Football Playoff will be a major topic. Jeff Palermo has the story.
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There may be hope for an extension of the teacher stipend after all. Andrew Greenstein reports.
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There’s one more week left in the legislative session. The two biggest pieces of legislation that have yet to receive final legislative approval are a new congressional map and the budget. LaPolitics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford says the Senate has had to make changes to the state’s spending plan.
Cut 4 (06) “…was supposed to.”
The full Senate is expected to vote on a budget proposal today, and the upper chamber will likely not go along with the governor’s request to double the funding for the state’s voucher program, known as LA GATOR.
Alford says, besides the budget and redistricting, there are several other pieces of legislation that lawmakers would like to send to the governor’s desk before the legislative session ends on June 1st.
Cut 5 (07) “…and tort reform.”
Teacher pay is also a big issue in the final days of the session. Educators could see their salaries reduced by two-thousand dollars because Constitutional Amendment 3 did not pass on May 16th. Alford says legislative leaders are not feeling pressure from the public to keep paying a two-thousand dollar stipend.
Cut 6 (08) “…in the legislature.”
But yesterday afternoon, Governor Landry announced an 11:30 a-m press conference with Senate President Cameron Henry and House Speaker Phillip DeVillier. The governor’s office says the press conference will discuss a teacher pay raise. Details are unknown.
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The future of the College Football Playoff will be one of the main topics as the SEC spring meetings get underway today in Destin, Florida. The Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 want the College Football Playoff expanded from 12 to 24 teams starting in 2027, but USA Today national college football writer Matt Hayes says SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey is only willing to expand to 16 teams.
A CBS Sports survey shows SEC coaches and athletic directors are split on a 24-team college football playoff format. Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Tennessee’s Josh Heupel are two coaches who have publicly supported the idea of 24-team playoff. Kirby has said it would be good for the fans.
Hayes says on major issues, the SEC is usually 100-percent for it or against it, but Sankey might have a hard time getting unanimous support on this issue.
Cut 8 (08) “…with the troops.”
The Big Ten believes it has leverage, since teams from their league have won the last three national championships. But Hayes says the SEC can make the argument their league has the much higher TV viewership, and a 24-team playoff will only hurt the regular season.
Cut 9 (09) “…chasm between them.”
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Men at high risk for prostate cancer will soon have far fewer barriers to get prostate cancer screenings. A bill that would eliminate cost sharing for prostate cancer screening for high-risk men is now awaiting Governor Landry’s signature after unanimously passing in both the House and the Senate. Alice Kline, the Louisiana government relations director at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, says this will make it a lot easier for those men to get those life-saving screenings.
Cut 10 (11) “…with that screening.”
Kline says prostate cancer is a major concern among men, particularly over the age of 50.
Cut 11 (09) “…from the disease.”
Kline says when prostate cancer is found earlier, it is much more treatable.
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There may be hope for an extension of the teacher stipend. Governor Landry and legislative leaders will be holding a news conference about a potential extension of the stipend, scheduled for 11:30 this morning. D’Shay Oaks, the president of the Louisiana Federation of Educators, says given how teachers have led student progress, the legislature should reward them accordingly.
Cut 13 (07) “…the stipend statewide.”
Oaks says if the legislature does not come through, she hopes other entities will pick up the slack – especially since teachers are not employed by the state, but rather by their local school districts.
Cut 14 (11) “…local school districts.”
Oaks says taking away the stipend could have devastating effects for those teachers.
Cut 15 (10) “…from their family.”
The full Senate is expected to take up the budget today, during which they could rearrange some items to make room for an extension of the teacher stipend.
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A year after finishing with a losing record, U-L Lafayette is back in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in the last five years. The Cajuns secured their spot in a Regional by winning five games in six days, at two different ballparks, at the rain-soaked Sun Belt Tournament. Coach Matt Deggs says he’s been impressed with the determination of this team.
Cut 16 (13) “…that’s the expectation.”
U-L Lafayette is the three seed in the Starkville Regional and will play second-seeded Cincinnati Friday night. Mississippi State is the host school, and the Bulldogs face Lipscomb Friday afternoon. Deggs expects a lot of U-L fans in Starkville to cheer on the Cajuns.
Deggs says Mississippi State’s home ballpark is one of the best in college baseball.
Cut 18 (13) “…a great Regional.”