Govt + Politics
House Dems to unveil revamped voting rights bill named for the late John Lewis
WASHINGTON—House Democrats plan to next week unveil a new version of legislation named after the late Georgia civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis that could protect voting rights across the U.S. During a Friday press conference, House Democratic Whip Jim Clyburn of South Carolina said that House Democrats are expected to introduce a revised H.R. […]
Louisiana’s Steve Scalise is 7 months late promoting COVID-19 vaccines | Jarvis DeBerry
Approximately 210 days after Congressional leaders became eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Pfizer; roughly 200 days after 41-year-old Representative-elect Luke Letlow died of COVID-19; 124 days after every Louisianian 16 and up could be inoculated and four months after the 10,000th Louisianian died of COVID-19, Republican House Whip Steve Scalise had himself […]
Housing advocates hoping for last-minute eviction moratorium extension before expiring this weekend
The Acadiana Regional Coalition on Homelessness & Housing is “waiting with hopeful anticipation” to see if the CDC’s moratorium on evictions — which is set to expire Saturday — will get a last-minute extension to protect renters and homeowners who are behind on rental payments, Leigh Rachel, executive director of the Acadiana Regional Coalition on […]
Congress clears $521M to pay for National Guard costs tied to Jan. 6 attack
WASHINGTON — Congress on Thursday overwhelmingly passed $521 million to reimburse the National Guard for providing 26,000 troops to protect the Capitol after the Jan. 6 riot — an unexpected expense that was poised to result in training cutbacks for Guard units across the country. The National Guard Bureau used its budget to pay for the […]
Klobuchar: Senate Dems ‘very close’ to a deal on revised voting rights bill
WASHINGTON—Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Thursday that lawmakers attempting to negotiate a compromise elections overhaul bill are “very close to an agreement” on legislation, as Democrats struggle to respond to restrictive voting laws passed in Republican-led states. Klobuchar, the chairwoman of the Senate Rules & Administration Committee, has been meeting with other Senate Democrats about […]
Some Louisiana college campuses are keeping their mask mandates; others may soon adopt mandates
In response to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, LSU’s Health and Medical Advisory Committee has announced a list of “science-based recommendations” including the continuation of a mask mandate and the requirement of a negative COVID-19 test before arriving on campus. The committee is recommending that the administration adopt those measures for all LSU campuses. LSU […]
Louisiana economy struggles with reliance on oil and tourism, analysis shows
Despite historic declines at the beginning of 2020 as the novel coronavirus spread and slowed the economy, tax revenues for most states rebounded by the end of the year to near pre-pandemic levels — but not for Louisiana. An analysis released Monday by Pew researchers sheds light on how Louisiana’s reliance on oil and tourism […]
4 private Louisiana universities are approved to require COVID-19 vaccinations
Dillard University, Loyola University New Orleans, Tulane University and Xavier University are the only Louisiana schools that have requested and received approval from the Office of Public Health to require the COVID-19 vaccine for people on campus ahead of the fall semester. The University of Holy Cross in New Orleans will also require their students, […]
Low bidder selected for new 4-lane highway in St. Tammany Parish
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development announced Monday the apparent low bidder for the construction of the first segment of a new four-lane highway in St. Tammany Parish. The bids were “let” or opened on July 21. Brown Industrial Construction LLC presented the apparent low bid of just under $46 million for the first […]
President Joe Biden marks the anniversary of the ADA
At a White House ceremony marking the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act Monday, President Joe Biden recalled a hallmark moment in the career of former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. “On the floor of the United States Senate, Tom Harkin sought recognition and he rose. And for the first time in the history […]
Louisiana (and every other state) needs to impose mask mandates now | Tammy C. Barney
From banning smoking in businesses to forcing drivers and passengers to wear seat belts to prohibiting texting while driving, governments have never had a problem passing laws to protect residents from themselves. Yet, even though Louisiana has the highest number of COVID-19 cases per capita in the United States, our officials refuse to do the […]
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards picks Senator Ronnie Johns to run gambling board
Gov. John Bel Edwards has appointed Sen. Ronnie Johns, R-Sulphur, to lead the state’s Gaming Control Board, which creates and oversees gambling industry regulations in Louisiana. Johns is one of the biggest boosters of the gambling industry in the Louisiana Legislature. He’s sponsored several pieces of legislation to ease restrictions on gambling companies– including the […]