Govt + Politics

Louisiana Capitol briefly evacuated after ‘unclaimed’ item found in rotunda

By: Louisiana Illuminator - May 12, 2022 5:59 pm

Memorial Hall at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, photographed Feb. 2, 2022. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator)

The Louisiana State Capitol was briefly evacuated Wednesday after an “unclaimed” package or bag was found in Memorial Hall, commonly referred to as the rotunda. Lawmakers were in session when legislative leaders cleared both chambers.

There were more people than usual at the Capitol on Thursday, when the House was scheduled to consider a bill to criminalize anyone who seeks an abortion. The proposal from Rep. Danny McCormick, R-Oil City, had not been heard when the evacuation took place.

Republicans in the House, along with Louisiana’s most prominent anti-abortion groups, oppose McCormick’s bill, which was expected to be amended on the House floor to eliminate those who are pregnant from being punished.

This is why the Louisiana House is currently being evacuated — this hard camera case was left unattended. The man who is standing by it in this video tells me that it’s his, and he is a photographer for one of the abolitionist groups’ YouTube pages. @wwltv pic.twitter.com/wzAMcA6lMl

— Devin Bartolotta (@devinbartolotta) May 12, 2022

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Louisiana Illuminator

The Louisiana Illuminator is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization driven by its mission to cast light on how decisions are made in Baton Rouge and how they affect the lives of everyday Louisianians, particularly those who are poor or otherwise marginalized.