In A Flash

Lawmakers will favorably report bills serving Hurricane Laura-affected parishes

By: JC Canicosa - October 2, 2020 1:54 pm

The front of a building on Elm Street in Lake Charles is nearly destroyed by Hurricane Laura. (Photo by Wes Muller/LA Illuminator, Saturday Aug. 29, 2020.)

The Senate education committee will favorably report a bill that would prevent parishes affected by Hurricane Laura from losing any money from the state education funding formula called the Minimum Foundation Program.

This bill would prevent financial deductions based on decreases in student enrollment because of Hurricane Laura.

The committee also will favorably report a bill that will provide first-day health insurance to new public school faculty and staff during disasters or emergencies.

“If you start work on Aug. 5 in a school, your health insurance does not kick in until Oct. 1,” Sen. Barry Milligan, R-Shreveport, who authored the bill, said. “What that does is put faculty and administration, staff and teachers essentially in harm’s way. They don’t have access to health care.”

4,000 new teachers began this fall, Milligan said.

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JC Canicosa

JC Canicosa is a former Louisiana Illuminator reporter. Prior to working with the Illuminator, Canicosa worked for Investigate-TV and The Loyola Maroon. Canicosa earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Loyola University New Orleans. At Loyola, he was the senior staff writer at The Maroon and the president of the school's chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Off the clock, Canicosa enjoys playing basketball, watching movies and dabbling in comedy writing.