After a grueling week of behind the scenes negotiations, the full House finally agreed to a sales tax plan that would prevent cuts to higher education, TOPS and the food stamp program. The measure needed 70 votes to pass…
cut 16 (07) “…applause”
The proposal heading to the Senate for its approval would set the sales tax rate at 4.45 percent from July 1st to mid 2025. Baton Rouge Representative Paul Davis congratulated the House for coming together
cut 15 (11) ”….their services”
Some public safety programs will see reductions since this sales tax renewal doesn’t cover the entire deficit.

A Slidell couple is in jail facing multiple charges for drugs and dog fighting following an investigation by the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office….
Cut 2 (26) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

There is more good news for LSU on the football recruiting front, as the Tigers received a verbal commitment from four-star quarterback Peter Parrish. He is ranked as the 11th best dual-threat QB in the 2019 recruiting class. Tiger Rag Associate Editor James Moran say LSU is building depth at a critical position…
cut 13 (12) “…the position”

After a week of difficult negotitions the House has approved legislation that sets Louisiana’s sales tax rate at 4.45 percent after July 1st and that would supply enough revenue to prevent cuts to higher education and the TOPS scholarship program. Baton Rouge Representative Paula Davis had this message for her colleagues before the critical vote….
cut 14 (12) “…constituents”
The measure needed 70 votes and it got 74.

It now heads to the Senate. Leaders in the upper chamber have a back-up plan in case this sales tax proposal doesn’t make it through the process. They’ve introduced legislation to keep the sales tax rate at 5-percent for up to the next 14 months. Senate President John Alario….
cut 5 (10) “…solution at all”
But for now the Senate will first consider the sales tax bill passed by the House.

US Senator John Kennedy has attached legislation to an appropriations bill that prohibits federal employees from purchasing first class airplane tickets with taxpayer money. Kennedy says in a recent three-year period an extra one-million dollars in taxpayer money went to unnecessary first class tickets…
cut 10 (05) “…will do”
Kennedy believes the amendment will make it to the President’s desk.

A four star quarterback from Alabama announced on Twitter he plans on attending LSU. Peter Parrish’s verbal commitment gives the Tigers 14 commitments for their 2019 class. Tiger Rag Associate Editor James Moran says Parrish can run a speedy 4.5 in the 40 and scouts say he’s improving as a passer
cut 12 (09) “…offered him.”
Parrish’s verbal pledge follows up the commitment on Wednesday from one of the top cornerbacks in the country, Derek Stingley Junior.

Still waiting to see if the House has reached a deal on renewing a portion of an expiring one-cent sales tax to prevent deep cuts in higher education, TOPS and other state progams.

The Tax Foundation says Louisiana lawmakers should not rely on Thursday’s US Supreme Court decision to bail them out of their fiscal mess. The decision from the nation’s highest court allows states to collect taxes on purchases made through a business that doesn’t have a physical presence in that state. Tax Foundation’s John Buhl says Louisiana will first have to make changes to its complex sales tax laws, before they are able to cash in…
cut 8 (08) “….start to ramp up”

The LSU football program has received a verbal commitment from a four-star quarterback out of Alabama. Peter Parrish is ranked as the 11th best dual-threat QB in the 2019 recruiting cycle according to 24-7 sports.

US Senator John Kennedy has attached an amendment to an appropriations bill to keep taxpayer money from going towards first-class airline tickets for federal employees. Kennedy says there’s only two reasons why a federal worker should receive a taxpayer funded first-class ticket….
cut 9 (10) “…abused”
In a report released last March, EPA Secretary Scott Pruitt allegedly spent 105-thousand dollars on first class flights in his first year on the job.

The statewide average for a regular gallon of gasoline has dropped below $2.60, but get ready for an increase at the pump. That’s according to AAA’s Don Redman says the supply of fuel is dwindling and demand for gas is getting ready to skyrocket….
cut 12 (09) “…record-breaker”
Redman says gasoline prices to increse by at least five to ten cents over the next couple of weeks.

Senate leaders have proposed a way for cuts not to occur if the fiscal cliff arrives without a sales bill passing in this third special session. Jeff Palermo has more

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The Louisiana House does continue to struggle to reach an agreement on renewing a portion of an expiring one-cent sales tax that’s needed in order to avoid cuts to state services. A proposal to renew half a cent failed last night, just 10 votes short of the 70 votes needed for passage to the Senate. The third special session will wrap up by Wednesday with the fiscal cliff arriving June 30^th.

The statewide average for regular gasoline is $2.59, which is a few cents lower than last week. But AAA Fuel Analyst Don Redmond anticipates the price at the pump to go up…
Cut 10 (13) “…going back up.”
He says the increase could be anywhere from five to ten-cents.

The U-S House has passed a Farm Bill that contains stricter requirements for food stamps. Republican Ralph Abraham says able bodied adults would have to either work or participate in a job training program for 20 hours per week to remain eligible for food stamps…
cut 8(12) “….this training”
The Senate still has to sign off on this controversial change.

The Louisiana House is struggling to reach an agreement on renewing a portion of an expiring one-cent sales tax that’s needed in order to avoid cuts to state services. A proposal to renew half a cent failed by 10 votes last night. So does the most recent vote come off as a failure? LA-Politics-dot-com Publisher Jeremy Alford says not necessarily…
cut 15 (12) “…wait and see”
Alford says the governor and Democrats prefer the half-a-cent sales tax renewal, while Republicans are digging in at four-tenths of a cent.

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A Slidell couple is in jail facing multiple charges for drugs and dog fighting following an investigation by the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.  The Narcotics Task Force executed a search warrant on the residence of the Michael Ratcliff and Antinette Johnson, finding cocaine, marijuana & pills.  Animal Services seized fifteen dogs from the property.  Seven children were also present in the home.

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A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued until 7PM tonight for a large portion of north and central Louisiana.  Ouachita, Tansas, East Carroll, Morehouse, and Webster are among the parishes in the watch box.

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While the Senate is continuing to wait on passage from the House for a solution to the upcoming fiscal cliff, Senate President John Alario says a “plan b” has been set in place in the event a gridlock continues through the close of the special session.  Alario says this is definitely not an ultimate fix to the budget issue and it would likely just continue the tax debate into the future.

Cut 5 (11) “…permanent solution at all.”

Discussions behind the scenes continue in the Louisiana House as the lower chamber is unable to agree on a sales tax bill that would replace some of the revenue that’s set to fall off the books on June 30th. LaPolitics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford says Governor Edwards and Democrats are seeking to renew a half-a-cent of an expiring one-cent sales tax, but Republicans support a point-four-percent renewal, which would result in cuts to the state budget…..
cut 14 (11) “….there going to do”

The Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee has sent a resolution to the full Senate that would suspend the expiration of the one-cent sales tax for 14 months. Senate President John Alario says it’s a back up plan, if a sales tax renewal bill is not approved by the House….
cut 3 (09) “…of the state”
That one-cent is set to expire June 30th.

The US Supreme Court has ruled that states will now be able to collect sales taxes from online sales. The ruling gives states the authority to receive sales tax revenues on purchases made by consumers with a business that has no physical presence in that state. However, Tax Foundation spokesperson John Buhl says Louisiana’s sales tax laws are too complex for them to take advantage of this ruling…
Cut 6 (07) “…anytime soon.”
A graduation ceremony will take place tomorrow night in New Orleans for 22 women who have been trained by Emerge Louisiana so they can run for political office. Executive Director Melanie Oubre tells us what these future candidates learned during their 70 hours of training….
cut 30 (09) “…in their campaign”
Oubre says two members of their inaugural training class will run for an office this fall, while the others are gearing up next year when state legislative races are on the ballot.

The House was scheduled to meet at 9:30 this morning, but the chamber is relatively empty as behind the scenes negotitiations continue on a sales tax plan that would replace a portion of the over one-billion dollars in revenue that comes off the books when temporary sales taxes expire on June 30th.

House Speaker Taylor Barras addressed the lower chamber before they adjourned last night and said legislators are deadlocked. Barras says he plans to keep talking with the caucus chairs in the hopes an agreement can be reached….
cut 16 (12) “….impasse is”
The Governor and Democrats want a half-a-penny renewed of an expiring one-cent sales tax, while Republicans seek renewal at four-tenths of a cent in an effort to cut back on government spending. The governor’s plan would not result in any cuts. The special session must end on Wednesday night.

The statewide average for a regular gallon of gasoline has dropped below $2.60, but get ready for an increase at the pump. AAA’s Don Redman says the supply of fuel is dwindling and demand for gas is getting ready to skyrocket….
cut 12 (09) “…record-breaker”
Redman says gasoline prices to increse by at least five to ten cents over the next couple of weeks.

Louisiana officials are happy about the Farm Bill that the U-S House passed. Congressman Ralph Abraham says the legislation will help farmers recover from natural disasters and it supports Louisiana dairy farmers, which has seen a decline in the number of producers…
cut 9 (11) “…sometime”
The measure still needs Senate approval.

Lawmakers in the House remain deadlocked over how much to renew an expiring one-cent sales tax that could generate hundreds of million dollars and prevent deep cuts to higher education, TOPS and other state agencies. Last night the House concluded its official business around 8:30 after a long day of behind the scenes negotiations. Baton Rouge Representative Denise Marcelle expressed her frustration….
cut 17 (04) “…of time”
LAPolitics.com publisher Jeremy Alford says the governor and Democrats want a half-a-penny renewed of an expiring one-cent sales tax, while Republicans prefer four-tenths…
cut 13 (07) “…foreseeable futrure”
The House is set to come back in this morning, but it’s unclear if any sales tax renewal bill can get the 70 votes needed for the measure to advance to the Senate.

The statewide average for regular gasoline is hovering around $2.60 a gallon, but we could see an increase of five to ten cents in the near future. Kevin Barnhart explains why…
Cut 3 (27) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

The U-S House has passed a Farm Bill that contains stricter requirements for food stamps. Republican Ralph Abraham says able bodied adults would have to either work or participate in a job training program for 20 hours per week to remain eligible for food stamps…
cut 8(12) “….this training”
The Senate still has to sign off on this controversial change.

Louisiana House Speaker Taylor Barras says the lower chamber is in extreme deadlock as another attempt to pass a sales tax bill that would replace some of the revenue that’s set to fall off the books on June 30th failed to muster enough votes last night.

LaPolitics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford says Governor Edwards and Democrats are seeking to renew a half-a-cent of an expiring one-cent sales tax, but Republicans support a point-four-percent renewal, which would result in cuts to the state budget…..
cut 14 (11) “….there going to do”
The House is set to come back at 9:30 this morning.

President Donald Trump has endorsed Acadiana Congressman Clay Higgins as he seeks a second-term in office this November. Higgins is facing a challenge from fellow Republican Josh Guillory. Mr. Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giulani will host a fundraiser for Guillory at Monday. The former New York mayor is dating Guillory’s political fundraiser.

The statewide average for regular gasoline is $2.59, which is a few cents lower than last week. But AAA Fuel Analyst Don Redmond anticipates the price at the pump to go up…
Cut 10 (13) “…going back up.”
He says the increase could be anywhere from five to ten-cents.

Louisiana Congressman Ralph Abraham calls the passage of the Farm Bill in the US House a great day for America’s farmers. Abraham, who is the only member of Louisiana’s delegation on the agriculture committee, says it will help farmers recover from natural disasters…
Cut 7 (06) “…one more time.”
Abraham says the legislation heading to the Senate also requires able-body adults to either work or participate in a job training program for 20 hours per week in order remain eligible for food stamps.