The Supreme Court ruled the most recent state congressional map approved by lawmakers with two majority Black districts will be the one to use in the upcoming election. Mel Bridges has more.
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The Louisiana Senate has passed the Gator Scholarship Program which would give parents the ability to receive taxpayer dollars to pay for private school tuition. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”
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The Supreme Court says the most recent congressional map approved by lawmakers with two Black majority districts will be the one used in upcoming federal elections. Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry says the May 15th ruling came just in time…
Some questioned why the Secretary of State’s office put a May 15th deadline on having a map in place when the election is not until November. Landry says it takes months to run a statewide election.
Landry says anyone within the changed districts will know long before they cast any votes…
Qualifying for the Congressional races is from July 17th to 19th.
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The Louisiana Senate has approved the bill that creates the Gator Scholarship Program which will provide parents public dollars to pay for private school tuition. The bill’s author, Baton Rouge Senator Rick Edmonds, says this is a historic moment as the legislation will give parents options on where to send their child to school..
The E-S-A bill passed on a 24-15 vote. It still needs House approval. Opponents are concerned about the overall cost of the program which could be 500-million.
New Orleans Senator Royce Duplessis voted against the legislation. He says Education Savings Accounts are an abandonment of public education and its teachers…
The Gator Scholarship program would replace the state’s current voucher program which provides state tax dollars to low income families to help pay for non-public school tuition. The voucher program also can help a family move their child from a C, D or F-graded school.
The Gator Scholarship program would start by offering grants to families who currently involved in the voucher program. It will eventually open up to all families. Senate President Cameron Henry says the E-S-A bill was amended so the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will determine how fast the program will grow and who will be eligible…
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A bill to ban transgender people from using school restrooms and other facilities that match their gender identity passed in the Senate 29 to 10. New Orleans Senator Royce Duplessis asked Franklinton Senator Beth Mizell, who presented it to the Senate, why it’s needed. She says because of an incident that happened at a Louisiana park restroom…
Duplessis believes this bill is a cultural war issue meant to drum up unnecessary fear…
Cut 10 (08) “…protect children.”
Mizell, meanwhile, champions the bill as protecting women…
Cut 11 (12) ” …that bathroom.”
The bill would also separate restrooms in prisons and domestic violence shelters. The bill awaits Governor Landry’s signature.
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Organizers say they are off to a strong start in the first month of the recall effort to oust embattled St. Tammany Parish Coroner Dr. Christopher Tape. Noble-Bates Young with Family First St. Tammany says they’ve collected about 6,000 signatures but they’ll need to have 36,000 by October.
Tape ran unopposed and a recall effort began after criminal accusations of child sexual abuse more than two decades ago in New Mexico came to light.
With festival season about to wind down, Young says they will rely heavily on business hubs to collect signatures.
As for who will run against Tape if the recall is successful, Young says Family First St. Tammany is focused on getting enough signatures right now.
Young says if they meet their goal it will most likely be on the Spring 2025 ballot for St. Tammany Parish voters.