Briefs
African-American history courses may be added to list of classes students can take to earn TOPS
Rep. Cedric Glover’s (D-Shreveport) HB 635, which would allow African American history courses to be among the classes a high school student can take to become eligible for TOPS, advanced without objection from the Louisiana House Education Committee Wednesday. Currently, high school students looking to complete the social studies requirement for TOPS must take two […]
AG Jeff Landry sues U.S. Treasury over Rescue Plan mandate
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry announced Tuesday that he joined a lawsuit against the U.S. Treasury Department, arguing against a provision in the American Rescue Plan Act that prohibits states from using federal pandemic relief money to cut taxes. Landry joined the lawsuit with two other Republican attorneys general from Mississippi and Texas. The filing […]
Bill that requires school buses to have seat belt advances from House Education Committee
A bill that would require school buses to have seat belts advanced without objection from the Louisiana House Education Committee Tuesday. Rep. Robert Carter (D-Amite), the author of HB 130, said to the committee, “Safety is (the) number one (priority) for our children.” Carter said he passed similar legislation in 2004, but “it’s been 17 […]
Gov. Edwards opens ‘Restaurant Revitalization Fund’
Louisiana restaurants, bars, catering companies and other food-related establishments can now register for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s “Restaurant Revitalization Fund,” Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Monday. The fund “allows businesses to offset losses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic” and has a budget of $28.6 billion for restaurants and other food establishments across the country. […]
U.S. Senator makes surprise appearance at Louisiana House
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy made a surprise appearance on the floor of the Louisiana House Tuesday afternoon and encouraged state lawmakers to take advantage of green energy opportunities. Cassidy gave brief remarks to the House lawmakers at the request of House Speaker Clay Schexnayder. The Republican senator from Baton Rouge said Louisiana would soon receive […]
House passes bill that would allow rental applicants to explain if their evictions were caused by disasters
Rep. Royce Duplessis’s (D-New Orleans) HB 374, which allows rental applicants to provide the context surrounding their COVID-19-era evictions and prevents landlords from charging for an application fee unless they tell applicants their screening criteria, process and amount, passed in the Louisiana House of Representatives by a vote of 87-10. Duplessis said to the House […]
Gov. Edwards announces spending proposals for first $1.6 billion of COVID-19 relief
CLARIFICATION: This story has been changed to reflect that the amounts listed are what the governor has proposed spending. The Legislature will decide how much is spent. Louisiana’s unemployment trust fund would receive $400 million and the unemployment insurance loan payment system $230 million, according to a proposal Gov. John Bel Edwards has to spend […]
Louisiana Legislature gets behind greater raise for K-12 teachers, staff
The Louisiana Legislature’s leadership has gotten behind a proposal to boost the pay raises teachers and support staff in K-12 schools are expected to receive in the next school year, Sen. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, announced Thursday. The Louisiana Senate Education Committee, which Fields leads, rejected legislation Thursday that lays out funding for K-12 public […]
Education Committee advances resolution to request the governor appoint more women to higher ed boards
Rep. Jason Hughes’ (D-New Orleans) resolution to request the governor appoint more women to higher ed boards advanced without objection from the Louisiana House Education Committee Wednesday. If passed, the resolution would request Gov. John Bel Edwards appoint additional women to the Board of Supervisors of LSU, the Board of Supervisors of Southern University, the […]
Louisiana Senate backs bill negating groundwater commissioners ethics violations
The Louisiana Senate voted overwhelmingly for legislation that would let the commissioners who regulate groundwater in the Baton Rouge area to be paid by the companies that extract it. The bill would also negate state ethics charges that five of the 18 Capital Area Ground Water Conservation Commission members are facing. The Louisiana Board of […]
Louisiana lawmakers consider letting people convicted of felonies serve on juries
The Louisiana House Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice voted 6-4 Thursday to allow some people convicted of felonies to serve on juries. The legislation has now been forwarded to the full House for consideration. Rep. Denise Marcelle, D-Baton Rouge, is sponsoring the bill. If passed, people who were convicted of felonies would be […]
Donald Remy, LSU grad, nominated for deputy Veteran Affairs position
President Joe Biden announced Friday that he’d nominate for deputy secretary of Veterans Affairs Donald Remy, a military veteran who spent much of his childhood in New Orleans and graduated from LSU. If confirmed to the position, Remy would be second-in-command at the department, which is in charge of veterans’ health care, benefits and national […]