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Archive of Louisiana on Thursday May 08, 2008
Lawmakers -- Ethics laws too strict for volunteers
Unless the new disclosure laws are changed, few will want to serve on state boards and commissions, which some state senators said Wednesday would reduce public involvement in government operations, senators said Wednesday. Read More
Armor bill clears House
Bulletproof vests and other body armor would be off limits on school campuses under legislation that cleared a House committee Wednesday. Read More
Bill fines landlords of illegal immigrants
The House Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice voted 7-4 Wednesday for a bill that would make it a crime to knowingly rent or lease a room, apartment or house to an illegal immigrant. Read More
Momentum grows in House to support income tax repeal
The state House appears poised to endorse a bill repealing the state's personal income tax -- a move that would chagrin the Senate and place the bill on the governor's desk. Read More
Airport authority flies into the sunset
The 16-year-old Louisiana Airport Authority should fade into history by Jan. 1, since it hasn't done much to develop a cargo airport between New Orleans and Baton Rouge as intended, the Senate decided Wednesday. Read More
State's superdelegates stay on fence
Despite mounting pressure for Hillary Clinton to yield to front-runner Barack Obama in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, most of Louisiana's superdelegates remain uncommitted. Read More
At-risk gubernatorial seats increase
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Senate topples bid for wind insurance
WASHINGTON ? After a bitter debate over the possible cost to taxpayers, the Senate rejected an attempt Wednesday to add wind coverage to the National Flood Insurance Program. Read More
Bill seeks to limit traffic cameras
Traffic cameras aimed at catching drivers who run red lights should not be aimed at the front of cars, says Sen. Troy Hebert, D-Jeanerette. Read More
Supplemental war spending bill includes levee project funding for New Orleans
WASHINGTON - Congress today will unfurl a massive emergency war spending bill expected to include $5.8 billion to secure levees in the New Orleans area. Read More
Silver Alert helps rescue lost seniors
(Updated 9:30 a.m EST, May 8, 2008) When an elderly person with dementia is lost, eight states can trigger an alert to let the community know. Proposals in Congress would expand the successful missing persons program to all 50 states. Read More
House OKs job training bill
The House easily approved Gov. Bobby Jindal's job training package Wednesday. Read More
Legislators eye Congress
Three prominent black state legislators say they are seriously considering a run for three different U.S. Congress seats this fall as independents instead of as Democrats. Read More
Panel backs poverty fight
The state could be required to reduce child poverty by 50 percent under a bill easily approved by a Senate committee Wednesday. Read More
Bill raising drivers' coverage advances
A bill that would require all drivers to have higher minimum insurance coverage on their vehicles was approved 6-2 Wednesday by the House Insurance Committee. Read More
Senate says abolish airport panel
A state panel that has spent 16 years trying to build a sprawling airport near Donaldsonville would be abolished under a bill that won Louisiana Senate approval 36-0 on Wednesday. Read More
Jindal sets tone for projected surplus
Gov. Bobby Jindal urged lawmakers Wednesday to resist embarking on a spending spree with any additional revenue gleaned for state government. Read More
Running for Office -- State House of Representatives District 18
OSCAR, La. - Pointe Coupee Parish businessman and School Board member Major Thibaut announced he will be a candidate for the District 18 seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives. Read More
House OKs bill to give PSC raise
The House endorsed a $30,000 a year pay increase for members of the Public Service Commission. Read More
House backs July 1 for resignation date
The House decided Wednesday to give people until July 1 to resign from elected jobs or state boards so they can avoid divulging their personal finances. Read More
Restraint urged as windfall brews
In a pre-emptive strike at legislators contemplating major tax cuts or spending reductions, Gov. Bobby Jindal said Wednesday that any budget windfall recognized by state forecasters this week should be reserved as surplus or devoted to reducing the state's reliance on one-time money. Read More
New Road Home appeal process offers hope for those in limbo
Louis Generes III didn't accept the official calculation of his Road Home rebuilding grant, but he was willing to follow the program's rules for mounting a challenge. Read More
Legislation prohibits body armor in schools
Students in elementary and high schools should be prohibited from wearing bulletproof vests and other body armor, legislation approved by a House committee says. Read More
Bill would raise severance tax cap
Natural gas production from the rich Vernon Field in Jackson Parish generated more than $32 million in severance taxes last year, but Jackson Parish's local take was only $850,000. Read More
Peigneur bill going to Senate
A bill that would restrict expansion of natural gas storage caverns beneath Lake Peigneur will make it to the Louisiana Senate floor. Read More
Senate defeats wind clause
WASHINGTON -- A Gulf Coast-backed effort to add wind coverage to the National Flood Insurance Program was soundly defeated Wednesday in the Senate amid concerns it would be too costly. Read More
Will states fix 2012 primary process?
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Oh say, is that banner made in the U.S.A.?
Lawmakers in 10 states have taken steps to require that American flags bought with state funds be manufactured in this country. While not all the legislation has passed, one state’s new law even bans the sale of foreign-made American flags in that state. Read More
WORTH NOTING: Voters' guide promotes phone sex
An Oregon voters’ guide lists a very wrong number. California’s governor insults rural legislators. And Pennsylvania considers selling wine in vending machines. In case you missed those stories this week, “Worth Noting” fills you in. Read More
Parents turn to states for autism help
(UPDATED 4 p.m. EDT, Thursday May 1) One of the toughest problems facing autism patients, their families and policymakers is paying for treatment. Families are increasingly relying on states to help them cope with the financial, medical and educational needs. Read More
Fairness of death-penalty panels questioned
Death-penalty supporters are raising questions about the fairness of state commissions charged with studying how capital punishment is carried out in Maryland and Tennessee, claiming the panels will issue reports that ignore their views. Read More
Legislators prod Congress on Medicaid, Real ID
As some states tumble into what they fear is a recession, state lawmakers from across the country are pushing Congress for relief from impending federal rules that would force states to pick up more Medicaid costs and spend billions to make drivers’ licenses more secure. Read More
With justices' OK, voter ID moves ahead
A decision Monday (April 28) by the U.S. Supreme Court to let Indiana demand photo identification from voters paves the way for other states to do the same during November’s presidential election, experts say. Read More
More states offer choice in long-term care
More states are poised to offer a successful alternative to traditional Medicaid plans that allows elders and the disabled to avoid moving to a nursing facility by hiring friends, neighbors or family members to look after them in their own homes. Read More
Will Democrats grow legislative edge in '08?
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Gay marriage decisions ripe in Calif., Conn.
More than four years after its historic court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, Massachusetts stands alone in blessing gay marriages — more than 10,000 to date — and its example has spurred no imitators but lots of backlash. All eyes now are on the highest courts in California and Connecticut. Read More
'Purple' states turn a little more 'blue'
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Governors pitch ambitious programs
Billion-dollar deficits in California, New York and Arizona haven’t stopped governors there and elsewhere from proposing big-ticket items for 2008. Stateline.org looks at proposals from governors’ 2008 "state of the state" speeches and provides an exclusive summary of all the addresses so far.
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Commentary: Govs beat White House hopefuls as agents of change
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Iraq casts shadow on 2008 state races
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Democratic mid-term gains affecting policy
So complete was the Democratic rout in the 2006 midterm elections that the party even gained legislative influence in Alaska, Idaho, North and South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming – states long dominated by the Republicans. And those gains, though small, are translating into policy achievements. Read More
WORTH NOTING: Illinois gov runs up travel tab
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s commuting costs start to add up. South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds settles a dispute with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over a cranky game warden. Read More
Embryonic stem cell research divides states
President Bush’s second veto of a bill to allow federal funding of stem cell research puts the ethical issue squarely in states’ hands. So far, seven states have moved to fund the research, six have banned it, three have affirmed its legality but do not fund it and a handful of others continue to debate the issue. Read More
States outpace feds on minimum wage
When the new federal minimum wage takes effect July 24, 30 states will require employers to pay hourly workers more than federal law requires. Read More |
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