The state legislative auditor has completed an audit on sexual harassment in state government and concludes the state should do a better job of educating its workers. Jeff Palermo has more
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A bill that would allow companies like Uber to operate across the state passed the House on a resounding 97-1 vote. Matt Doyle has more.
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The Pelicans return to New Orleans with a two games to nothing series lead over Portland after a 111 to 102 victory last night. Jrue Holiday scored a career playoff-high 33 points. And on the defensive end, Holiday held Damian Lillard to 17 points. Head Coach Alvin Gentry says Holiday has been playing at a high level for awhile…
A modest Holiday says he’s just doing what his teammates expect out of him…
Game 3 is Thursday night at the Smoothie King Center. The Pels are just the seventh team in NBA history to win the first two games of an opening round playoff series on the road. Gentry says they still have to get two more wins to advance to the next round…
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The full House has approved legislation that gives residents a chance to vote on whether fantasy sports betting should be legal in their parish. The bill’s author, River Ridge Representative Kirk Talbot, explained to the rest of the House how the fantasy sports games work…
Currently, fantasy sports websites like Draft Kings and Fan Duel do not allow Louisiana residents to play in their contests. Talbot says all his legislation does is legalize it in parishes, if it’s approved by a majority of residents in November…
The measure still needs Senate approval.
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The state’s legislative auditor has completed a sexual harassment survey of thousands of state workers and concluded that the state should do a better job of educating its workers on the issue. Auditor Daryl Purpera says the state spent more than five million dollars on sexual harassment claims over the past 9 years. He says there is no clear cut process on what to do.
The audit was triggered by the resignation of one of Governor John Bel Edwards top aide’s over accusations of sexual harassment. Purpera adds without a standard procedure the issue may continue.
Purpera admits the state’s employee base is very diverse and a sexual harassment policy would have to be custom fit for some of the different agencies.
The audit findings largely came from the Office of Risk Management.
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On a 97-1 vote, the House passed legislation that would permit companies like Uber to operate across the state, without needing to make local agreements. The bill, by Speaker Taylor Barras, would bring Louisiana in line with the vast majority of other states’ rideshare regulations. Barras says it’s a big benefit with a small price tag.
Shreveport Representative Barbara Norton said her mind was changed after talking to her son about the benefits of the service for people who don’t own a vehicle….
Shreveport Representative Cedric Glover was the one dissenting vote. He expressed concerns that the background check system used to clear Uber drivers was not reliable.
Cut 13 (11) “law enforcement agencies.”
The bill moves onto the Senate
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The Democratic Caucus is pushing back against a budget that will be discussed tomorrow on the House Floor that includes 648 million dollars in cuts to higher education and healthcare. Caucus Chairman Robert Johnson says the budget discriminates against Democratic constituencies, while funding projects in Republican areas of the state.
The caucus is also pushing back against part of the budget that fully funds TOPS, but cuts the higher education budget.
Johnson says Republicans aren’t properly considering, and explaining just how damaging these cuts would be to Louisianans.
Baton Rouge Representative Democrat Patricia Smith says so far, the GOP have resisted any efforts to cut a bargain that would adequately fund state programs.
The caucus is calling on lawmakers to vote against the budget, and instead replace expiring revenues in a special session.
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