A missing 12-foot python that escaped its enclosure at the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge has been found. Jeff Palermo has the details…
Cut 1 (30) “ …I’m Jeff Palermo”
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Federal legislation has been introduced that would provide a tax credit for those who incur out-of-pocket expenses when caring for a family member.
Cut 2 (31) …I’m Brooke Thorington.
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State lawmakers have until next Friday to decide on whether to hold an override veto session. La-Politics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford says some legislators are concerned that if they do not vote to cancel the veto session, the governor could retaliate by withholding the funding for local construction projects…
Cut 3 (09) “…bond commission agenda”
There are 28 bills Governor Edwards vetoed and a majority vote in either the House or Senate is needed to cancel the session that’s set to begin July 20th. Legislative leaders are pushing for a veto session, but Alford says there are lawmakers who wonder if they have enough votes to override a veto…
It will take a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate to override a veto, which means 26 votes in the Senate and 70 in the House. Alford says the veto of a bill to prohibit transgender females from participating in girls’ sports is fueling the desire to hold a veto session…
Cut 5 (09) “..two-thirds vote for”
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Congress is looking at giving family caregivers a tax credit to help offset expenses. AARP says caregivers spend on average just over seven thousand out of pocket annually. AARP State Director Denise Botcher says it’s a bipartisan effort known as the Credit for Caring Act.
Botcher says 80-percent of those caring for family members are paying out-of-pocket expenses with the highest burden falling on younger caregivers and those who are Hispanic or Black.
Botcher says half of a caretaker’s spending is then followed by medical expenses.
So far, the Credit for Caring Act is receiving positive feedback from lawmakers. Botcher says Congress recognizes that family caregivers are under a lot of pressure, especially after many lost support services during the pandemic.
Botcher says caregivers assisting those with Alzheimer’s, dementia or mental health issues spend more than eight thousand annually.
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Governor Edwards vetoed legislation pushed by Attorney General Jeff Landry that would have expanded state drug courts using funds obtained from opioid settlements.
Port Allen Senator Rick Ward says the veto of his bill came as a real surprise given there wasn’t a single vote against it as it sailed through the Legislature.
The bill mandated drug tests within 24 hours of a person being booked, and then called for screening those who test positive to determine if they suffer from a substance use disorder and thus qualify for entry into the drug court program.
In his veto statement, Edwards raised concerns the bill was too vague about how the Attorney General was allowed to spend the money. Ward says he spoke with the Governor’s staff…
Ward anticipates there will be a veto override session later this month and there’s a possibility that the Governor’s veto will be overridden if he can’t better justify his decision.
Edwards vetoed 28 bills this session but the most controversial, those involving transgender athletes and concealed carry, will likely headline any potential veto override session.
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A Haughton man has been arrested for second-degree murder after he called 911 and told the dispatcher he’d shot a woman. Lt Bill Davis with the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office says 25-year old Brian Michael Clark confessed to shooting a woman in his trailer Wednesday evening and when they arrived she was pronounced dead on the scene.
Davis says the identity of the victim has not been released pending notification of next of kin.
Davis says the homicide is unusual because the suspect notified them of the shooting and ultimately confessed.
Clark was transported to the Bossier Maximum-Security Facility.