Govt + Politics

Biden, McCarthy say they have brokered a debt limit deal to avert U.S. default

BY: and - May 27, 2023

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced a deal in principle Saturday night that would stave off a first-ever default on the nation’s debt as long as it can clear both chambers of Congress before June 5. The agreement would address the nation’s debt limit and include a “historic” reduction in spending, McCarthy said, though […]

an exterior view of prison cells

People incarcerated by non-unanimous juries won’t get life line

BY: - May 27, 2023

The House voted 48-38 to kill a bill Thursday that would have created an avenue of hope for prisoners who were convicted by non-unanimous juries before the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed the practice. House Bill 588 would have created a special committee for providing parole for up to roughly 1,500 people who had been convicted […]

Trays of vegetables are placed along the serving line of a school cafeteria

More states line up to serve free school meals to all kids

BY: - May 27, 2023

During his long career as a high school teacher, New York state Sen. John Mannion often reached into his own pocket to cover the cost of lunches for kids who didn’t have the funds. “I watched kids get to the end of the line and not have enough money on their cards,” the Democrat said […]

A voter makes his choices in at a New Orleans Garden District polling place

GOP-led states plan new voter data systems to replace one they rejected. Good luck with that.

BY: - May 27, 2023

So far this year, seven states, all Republican-led, have left the Electronic Registration Information Center, an interstate compact for sharing voter registration data, and more could follow. Amid the exodus, some states, including Texas and Virginia, have said they plan to create their own data-sharing networks to replace ERIC. Pledging to build a new system […]

Lawmakers reject bill that removes advertising costs from insurance premiums

BY: - May 26, 2023

State lawmakers shot down a proposal this week that would’ve stopped insurance companies from passing on the cost of their advertising campaigns to their customers in Louisiana.  House Bill 252, sponsored by Rep. Robby Carter, D-Amite, failed Tuesday on the House floor in a 27-68 vote. Party line defections included four Republicans who voted in […]

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to Iowa voters on March 10, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa.

DeSantis praises homeschoolers, gets in a dig at Donald Trump during speech

BY: - May 26, 2023

ORLANDO, Florida — Gov. Ron DeSantis took a swing at Donald Trump during a speech Friday for daring to suggest that the governor’s battle with The Walt Disney Co. was a mistake. The former president had posted on his Truth Social platform recently: “DeSanctus is being absolutely destroyed by Disney. His original P.R. plan fizzled, […]

Aerial view of Louisiana State Capitol building

Louisiana legislators are in agreement to give teachers $2,000 raise

BY: - May 26, 2023

Louisiana lawmakers appeared to have settled on giving public school teachers and other school staff $2,000 and $1,000 annual raises, respectively, legislators across the political spectrum said this week. Conservative House members said they are now willing to put a teacher pay raise directly into the state budget, removing the most significant opposition to doing […]

An LNG tanker is docked at an export terminal

Environmental groups seek federal intervention for Calcasieu Pass LNG terminal they deem polluter

BY: - May 26, 2023

Virginia-based liquified natural gas (LNG) company Venture Global has been on a learning curve since it opened its Calcasieu Pass terminal in Cameron Parish last year. The learning curve, as tallied by the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, has been steep, replete with more than 2,000 entry points. That’s how many times the Bucket Brigade says that […]

a syringe, pills and a vial of fentanyl

Fentanyl-related drugs permanently made criminal under bill passed by U.S. House

BY: - May 26, 2023

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers in the U.S. House passed bipartisan legislation Thursday in an effort to curb staggering overdose deaths from illegal fentanyl substances that are illicitly produced and up to 50 times stronger than heroin. The HALT Fentanyl Act, passed on a 289-133 vote with 74 Democratic votes and support from the Biden administration, would […]

Louisiana Republican Party chairman Louis Gurvich speaks to a crowd on the steps of the State Capitol

Far-right lawmaker, state GOP won’t accept trans youth healthcare ban’s defeat

BY: - May 25, 2023

In an act of political retribution, an ultra-conservative Louisiana lawmaker has attached an amendment to the bill of a fellow Republican who bucked the party line and voted to kill a proposed ban on gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth.  Rep. Alan Seabaugh, R-Shreveport, proposed the amendment Thursday afternoon to Sen. Fred Mills legislation that seeks […]

U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, speaks with reporters about the debt limit and government funding negotiations outside the Capitol building

With debt default as soon as a week away, U.S. House jets off for holiday break

BY: - May 25, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. House members walked down the steps of the Capitol building Thursday morning to head back to their districts for a Memorial Day recess that began exactly one week before the country could default on the debt. House Democrats took to the floor after the final vote of the week to give a […]

Controversial coroner cremation bill sails through House committee

BY: - May 25, 2023

A proposal that could allow Louisiana coroners to cremate bodies without performing autopsies, even in some deaths under suspicious circumstances, sailed through the end of a legislative committee Thursday after an intense debate on a separate proposal on underage drinking.  The House Judiciary Committee approved Senate Bill 187 without objection and little discussion. Sponsored by […]