Legislation that establishes statewide regulations for Uber and Lyft heads to the Senate. Halen Doughty has more…
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”
______________________________________
A measure that would make it illegal for adult to allow a children 12 and under from handling fully automatic guns heads to the House floor. Jeff Palermo has more…
______________________________________
A bill to regulate Uber and Lyft statewide is heading to the Senate. Jackson Representative Kenny Havard says these ride sharing services keep people safe, offers an affordable ride, and provides thousands of employment opportunities. He says very rarely do lawmakers get a chance to do something that really affects people’s lives.
The measure would establish a blanket set of regulations and collect a fee of one percent, ending various deals some local municipalities have with the companies. New Orleans has one such agreement in which the city charges riders a 50 cent fee. New Orleans Senator Troy Carter was upset this bill would supersede that arrangement.
Carter says New Orleans would lose $2 million if this bill threw out the city’s deal with Uber. But Monroe Representative Jay Morris says the Big Easy is charging riders the highest fee in the country. He says the City of New Orleans used Uber’s desire to move into the city to get the most money possible out of the business.
________________________________________________
A measure that would penalize adults if they let a child who is 12 years old or younger handle a fully automatic weapon passed out of the House Criminal Justice Committee on a 7 to 6 vote. Shreveport Representative Barbara Norton says she brought forth this bill after a nine year old girl accidentally shot and killed her instructor with an Uzi submachine gun in Arizona.
Adults would face fines if they violate the proposed law. Norton says she’s pro-gun and supports children of a proper age learning the correct way to shoot guns. She says she filed this measure strictly for the safety of young children too small to operate these weapons.
But Prairieville Representative Tony Bacala says this measure subjects gun collectors to a fine.
_________________________________________________
A measure that would prohibit public universities from having their name or images to market alcoholic beverages was voluntarily deferred in the House Education Committee. Shreveport Representative Cedric Glover filed this bill because he believes LSU and UL-Lafayette licensed “official” beers promote underage drinkings.
UL-Lafayette has Ragin Cajuns Genuine Louisiana Ale, while the LSU beer is “Bayou Bengal Lager.” But Hammond Representative Chris Broadwater says given the massive cuts to higher education, schools need this opportunity to generate funds.
Stephanie Knott with Bayou Teche Brewing spoke out in opposition of the measure, discussing the brewery’s partnership with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
_______________________________________________________
Two arrests have been made after a 7-year-old at Moss Bluff Elementary School was accidentally shot when a child brought a gun to school. Authorities say the gun fell out of the child’s backpack, and another child picked it up causing it to fire, hitting another student. Calcasieu Sheriff Tony Mancuso says the brother and father of the child who had the gun have been arrested.
The father, 50-year-old Michael Lane Dugas, is charged with negligent injury and improper supervision of a minor. The brother, 17-year-old Jake Adam Dugas, is charged with negligent injury. Mancuso says the gun was kept just four feet off the ground in a shoe organizer hanging on the wall of the bedroom the boys shared.
Mancuso says the actions of the child’s father and brother were the cause of the accident, not the young boy. Calcasieu Parish District Attorney John DeRosier says gun owners must store their weapons out of the reach of small children. He says we’re very lucky that the child injured in this case was not killed.
The child who was shot underwent surgery Monday and continues to recover.
_________________________________________________________