State

State budget goes into OT

The Louisiana Legislature failed to come to a compromise on the state’s $29 billion budget to fund state agencies next fiscal year, adjourned sine die (for good) at 6 p.m. amid House chaos.

Senate pours on the pressure

The Senate staged an unprecedented public conference committee on House Bill 1, the key funding bill, Wednesday night calling for the House Republicans and public stakeholders at risk of cuts to come together to better understand the effects of the House’s plan to leave money unappropriated as a...

Fighting terrorism: Hodges v. Norton

The House passed a bill, 82-8, Monday that works to prevent the state of Louisiana from funding terrorism, but not before two legislators got into an oral dustup which prompted a reprimand by the speaker of the House.

Budget funding restored

The Senate Committee on Finance unanimously moved to the Senate floor the state budget with amendments that restored funding cut from higher education, children and family services, corrections, veteran’s affairs and sheriff’s housing in the House version. House Bill 1, by Rep.

Rural hospitals face cuts

The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) faces a $196.4 million cut in its fiscal year budget starting in a little more than a month. This singular cut makes up the majority of the projected $206.

Constitution rewrite isn’t in the air  

Efforts to call a constitutional convention to resolve the state’s “broken” budget and fiscal structure were thwarted Tuesday evening in a 50-45 House vote, considerably short of the two-thirds required for the bill to pass.

Confederate military monument legiislation defeated

XFollowing nearly six hours of testimony and six minutes of vote discussion, the Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs Wednesday killed on identical 4-2 votes, a pair of bills Wednesday that would have made it more difficult to remove Confederate military monuments in Louisiana.

Governor calls special session

Gov. John Bel Edwards Wednesday served legal notice he intends to call a special session of the Legislature 30 minutes after the regular session finally adjourns at its official deadline, 6 p.m. June 8, if the lawmakers have not completed their work on three funding instruments.

Tax reform appears DOA

One of the last major tax reform packages of the session, one that overhauls the state’s tax code, likely is dead in the House after a core piece of Baton Rouge Republican Barry Ivey’s legislation was shot down Tuesday evening.

Minimum wage increase fails

The Senate Finance Committee, buttressed by challenged warnings that any mandated increase would cost jobs, killed, 7-3, a bill that would have raised the state’s minimum wage from the federal minimum of $7.25 to $8 in 2018, and to $8.50 in 2019. Washington, D.C.