House votes 69-29 for Rep. Jay Galle bill saying driver can't be sued for causing injury, death, damage by driving into a crowd illegally blocking roadway if the driver feels "in immediate danger of imminent death, bodily injury or serious bodily harm." HB383 to Senate.
#lalege
Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles announces masks will be required inside all its locations starting Monday, as the state grapples with its latest COVID-19 surge.
#lalege
#lagov
UPDATED with more details: Gov. John Bel Edwards issues statewide 'stay at home' order in effort to slow the spread of
#coronavirus
(from
@AP
)
#lalege
#lagov
After a day flying over the destruction left by
#HurricaneIda
, I am unable to adequately describe the vastness of the damage. Recovery will be a long, hard slog for so many. If you’re healthy and the only thing you don’t have tonight is power, it’s really not that bad.
#ida
#lawx
#LSU
announces it will no longer require proof of a COVID-19 vaccine or negative test to get into football games at Tiger Stadium. The loosened rules start with the Oct. 16 home game against Florida.
#lalege
#lagov
Senate votes 20-17 to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, end possibility of jail time for having 14 grams or less. Exact number of votes it needed to pass. Heads to the governor's desk.
@LouisianaGov
hasn't said whether he'll sign it.
#lalege
#lagov
BREAKING: Louisiana governor reinstates indoor mask mandate, including in schools, as COVID-19 surges and restrictions increase across US.
#lalege
#lagov
New Louisiana Survey poll from
@ReillyCenter
at
#LSU
shows 61% of residents say Louisiana is heading in the wrong direction and only 36% of residents have confidence in Louisiana government to address their concerns effectively. The survey:
#lalege
A personal note: I've been overwhelmed by the kind words people have offered since the announcement that I will be joining
@PARLouisiana
in January. I'm excited for the new challenge and proud of my 22 years working with the best in the journalism business at
@AP
.
#lalege
#lagov
With a 54-42 vote, the House gives final passage to bill granting voting rights to some convicted felons on probation and parole. Cheers in the chamber.
#lalege
#lagov
.
@LouisianaGov
says of the 2M people who have received a coronavirus vaccine, 8 people have had reactions serious enough to require staying in the hospital overnight. No deaths have been reported from the vaccine.
#lalege
#lagov
Dr. Birx says of Louisiana’s COVID-19 restrictions: “Louisiana made changes that saved people’s lives ... We learned from Louisiana that masks work.”
#lalege
#lagov
150 people in Cameron Parish refused to leave, planned to weather
#Laura
in everything from elevated homes to recreational vehicles. “It’s a very sad situation. We did everything we could to encourage them to leave.”
#lagov
#lawx
(from
@AP
)
Here’s Louisiana’s newest “I Voted” sticker. Created by New Orleans artist Becky Fos. Early voting for the Nov. 8 election begins Oct. 25.
#lalege
#lagov
With the outcome of tonight's legislative runoff elections, the Louisiana Senate will have 28 Republicans and 11 Democrats in the new term. The Louisiana House will have 73 Republicans and 32 Democrats. The GOP will hold super-majorities in each chamber.
#lalege
Gov. Jeff Landry is turning down $71M in federal food aid that the USDA estimates could have benefitted 594,000 low-income children this summer. The governor's spokesperson says Louisiana has other "robust social safety net programs."
#lalege
#lagov
US Sen. John Kennedy about Jan. 6: “I was here. It was not peaceful. It was an abomination. You’re entitled to believe what you want in America, but you can’t resort to violence to try to convince others of your point of view.” via
@politico
#lasen
Louisiana law allows schools to get approval from the Office of Public Health to require a vaccine beyond the state's regular list. OPH says 4 universities have requested to mandate the COVID-19 vaccines and have gotten approval: Dillard, Loyola, Tulane and Xavier.
#lalege
#lagov
.
@JoeKanter
says 50 hospitals flooded with COVID-19 patients have formally requested staffing assistance from
@LADeptHealth
, saying they can no longer adequately provide care with their current resources.
#lalege
#lagov
.
@LouisianaGov
, who opposes abortion, says
@McCormick4LA
bill to allow a woman to be charged with murder for seeking an abortion is “patently unconstitutional.” He says “it moves in the wrong direction.” He says “won’t make it off my desk” if it gets there.
#lalege
#lagov
.
@LouisianaGov
will issue a posthumous pardon tomorrow in New Orleans for civil rights leader Homer Plessy, who sat in a "whites-only" railroad car to protest discrimination.
#lalege
#lagov
Lt. Gov.
@BillyNungesser
says if
@LouisianaGov
issues statewide mask mandate this afternoon: "I'm going to support it." Says state needs to make tourists feel comfortable by also lessening the COVID_19 surge. "We've got to turn this thing around."
#lalege
#lagov
.
@LouisianaGov
says of the debate over masks in schools and parents' arguments that it's up to them to decide about masks: "There is no right to unreasonably endanger the lives of others. That doesn’t exist. Rights under the Constitution are not absolute."
#lalege
#lagov
Judge Janice Clark upholds
@LouisianaGov
's mask mandate and bar restrictions, rejects arguments that Edwards exceeded his legal authority.
#lalege
#lagov
US Judge Shelly Dick denies request from Senate President Page Cortez and House Speaker Clay Schexnayder to give lawmakers more time to redraw the state’s congressional map. Legislature has until June 20, or the judge will decide on the map.
#lalege
#lagov
.
@LouisianaGov
says National Guard has rescued 191 people across Jefferson, Orleans and St. John the Baptist parishes. He says no one who evacuated should return home until parish officials say it's safe to do so.
#HurricaneIda
#ida
#lawx
.
@LouisianaGov
: "It appears now that we have more structural damage from the wind and less of a problem related to the storm surge than we expected (in Lake Charles) ... It could very well be the opposite on the coast down in Cameron Parish."
#lawx
#lagov
The bill seeking to exempt much of
@LAGovJeffLandry
’s office from the public records law has been withdrawn and won’t be introduced in the regular session.
#lalege
#lagov
Breaking: Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins announces he will run against US Sen. Bill Cassidy in the Nov. 3 election, will qualify for the race this week (from
@AP
)
#lalege
#lasen
.
@LouisianaGov
says he's pushing for a passenger rail train from New Orleans to Baton Rouge and expects it will happen, with money from the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed by Congress.
#lalege
#lagov
Baton Rouge General Medical Center says it did not admit a COVID-19 patient yesterday for the first time since the earliest days of the pandemic.
#lalege
#lagov
Wrapped up cleaning out my
@AP
office of 20-plus years. Thought I’d share some of the items of political interest I found when packing up.
#lalege
#lagov
In his victory rally, newly reelected Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards said: "As for the president, God bless his heart” — a phrase often used by genteel Southerners to politely deprecate someone.
#lalege
#lagov
Big promise:
@LouisianaGov
office says Edwards to make "one of the most significant economic development announcements in Louisiana history" in New Orleans tomorrow afternoon.
#lalege
#lagov
Asked if the state could lift business restrictions soon (as President Trump has suggested),
@LouisianaGov
says he can't see doing that while the state is struggling to provide medical care. "My first priority is for the health and safety of the people of LA."
#lalege
#lagov
With a 74-19 vote, House gives final passage to
@MattWillard97
bill to remove Robert E. Lee Day and Confederate Memorial
Day from Louisiana's list of legal holidays. HB248 heads to the governor's desk.
#lalege
#lagov
Asked why he's not doing more to enforce existing rules,
@LouisianaGov
says (voice rising): "If the people of Louisiana are going to insist that we enforce our way through it, we’re not going to be successful." Says he has faith in people of LA to be good neighbors
#lalege
#lagov
.
@SenBillCassidy
, a Republican running for reelection, thanks Democratic
@LouisianaGov
administration: "They have shown great leadership in terms of how do we get our communities and our state through this."
#lalege
#lagov
Approval ratings in Louisiana, according to latest Southern Media & Opinion Research poll: Donald Trump, 48 percent; John Bel Edwards, 65 percent; John Kennedy, 51 percent; Bill Cassidy, 45 percent; Steve Scalise, 55 percent.
#lalege
#lasen
#lagov
.
@LouisianaGov
says Louisiana residents who have received the COVID-19 vaccine will get free entrance into state parks and historic sites. He says more incentives to get vaccinated will be announced at a later date.
#lalege
#lagov
.
@LouisianaGov
wrapping up his newser: "I’ve heard it said often: Louisiana’s the most pro-life state in the nation. I want to believe that. It ought to mean something. In this context, it ought to mean something."
#lalege
#lagov
Gov. John Bel Edwards: “I would feel better about Mike Johnson being speaker of the House if I felt he was someone who really believed in making government work.” via
@jmart
#lalege
#lagov
Edwards said that, in the two months since Louisiana’s Mike Johnson became House speaker, he’s not heard once from the lawmaker about ways they could work for Louisiana. via
@jmart
#lalege
#lagov
Since
@BESE_LA
adjourned the meeting without discussion about its authority over the mask mandate, the governor's executive order remains unchallenged.
#lalege
#lagov
#laed
VETO OVERIDDEN. Senate joins House in voting to override
@LouisianaGov
rejection of congressional map passed in the redistricting session. Senate vote was 27-11. House vote was 72-31. It required 26 votes in Senate and 70 in House.
#lalege
#lagov
Senate votes 34-0 for Democratic Sen. Cleo Fields resolution urging Gov. Jeff Landry to apply for federal food aid (summer EBT) for children. Landry rejected the $70M in aid, but lawmakers support it. House added $3.7M state funding into budget to administer the program.
#lalege
Republican State Central Committee votes to condemn New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s coronavirus vaccine mandate, calls on state lawmakers to outlaw vaccine mandates in the state.
#lalege
#lagov
Dr. Catherine O'Neal with Our Lady of the Lake says: "The delta variant is not last year’s virus ... We are dealing with a different beast." She says people previously infected with COVID-19 not protected, children are more susceptible to this variant.
#lalege
#lagov
Over a quarter of the people who run Louisiana’s local public defender offices showed up in person to push back on Gov. Jeff Landry’s proposal to take over the state’s public defense system via
@JSODonoghue
#lalege
#lagov
FINAL PASSAGE: House votes 85-9 for Democratic Sen. Cleo Fields bill to draw a new Louisiana Supreme Court map, create second majority-Black district out of seven districts. SB255 to governor. It's the first time the districts have been reworked in more than 25 years.
#lalege
.
@LouisianaGov
said he vetoed the congressional map passed by lawmakers “because it does not include a second majority African American district, despite Black voters making up almost a third of Louisianans per the latest U.S. Census data.”
#lalege
#lagov
Louisiana lawmakers OK sports betting rules, send the bill to governor who is expected to sign it; Betting could begin as early as this fall (from
@AP
)
#lalege
#lagov
House Speaker Clay Schexnayder has sent a letter to all GOP House members discouraging them from signing the petition to override the state of emergency
@LouisianaGov
has declared for the coronavirus pandemic.
#lalege
#lagov
.
@LouisianaGov
is speaking to the LSU Board of Supervisors, encouraging them to strip the Middleton name off the library. "In 2020 and going forward, LSU students shouldn’t be studying in a library named after someone who didn’t want them to be LSU students."
#lalege
#lagov
.
@LouisianaGov
announces that Louisiana will move to Phase 2 of reopening on Friday. That means bars and spas can start reopening; restaurants and other businesses that had been at 25% occupancy levels can move to 50% capacity.
#lalege
#lagov
Among the inductees last night at the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame ceremony was Ed Anderson, the best of reporters, a generous mentor and one of the kindest people you could ever meet. It was an honor to work with him on Press Row.
#lalege
#lagov
Very sad news. Smiley was such a treasure for Baton Rouge (and a wonderful Gridiron participant):
Smiley Anders, columnist beloved by generations of Advocate readers, dies at age 86 via
@theadvocatebr
.
@AGJeffLandry
did not take any questions from reporters after his statement. His spokeswoman would not say if they planned to release the body camera footage and surveillance video that hasn't been made public.
#AltonSterling
via
@Kunzelman75
FINAL PASSAGE: House votes 73-17 for Rep. Jay Galle bill saying driver can't be sued for causing injury, death by driving into crowd illegally blocking roadway if driver feels "in immediate danger of imminent death, bodily injury or serious bodily harm." HB383 to governor
#lalege
As
@LouisianaGov
announces statewide mask mandate, St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper says he was planning to issue a mask mandate for his parish and will issue an executive order to do so.
#lalege
#lagov
.
@LouisianaGov
says there's "deliberate misinformation campaign" suggesting Louisiana is double-counting cases for people who take multiple tests. Governor says that's not happening. "Nobody should be paying attention to what any of those individuals are saying."
#lalege
#lagov
.
@LouisianaGov
is announcing the first mass COVID-19 vaccination site will be set up at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge. Details coming tomorrow in an event where Edwards also will receive his first dose of the vaccine.
#lalege
#lagov
Well, it appears the chairmanship of the Louisiana Democratic Party may not be decided after all. Longtime Democratic activist Lynda Woolard announces she's challenging businesswoman Katie Bernhardt for the job, after Rep. Ted James drops out of the race.
#lalege
#lagov
PUBLIC RECORDS: Gov. Jeff Landry has been withholding public records by claiming “deliberative process” and “executive privilege” exemptions not granted to the governor’s office in law via
@aegallo
#lalege
#lagov
Gov. John Bel Edwards will be joining the New Orleans-based law firm Fishman Haygood when he leaves office Jan. 8.
Edwards will be focused on securing renewable energy deals for the state. via
@StephanieRiegel
#lalege
#lagov
.
@LAGovJeffLandry
urges lawmakers to pass a redesigned congressional map that includes a second majority-minority district rather than letting it be drawn "by some heavy handed federal judge."
#lalege
#lagov
One of the main national credit rating agencies Moody's has changed Louisiana's rating outlook from "stable" to "positive." The rating agency says that's a sign of improving financial situation and "a chance the state could be upgraded in the next 12-24 months."
#lalege
#lagov
In Appropriations review of
@LADeptHealth
budget, Rep. Beryl Amedee notes that of the 402,000 people removed from Medicaid rolls over the last six months, nearly half are pregnant women, children and people with disabilities. Amedee questions if they should be removed.
#lalege
BREAKING: Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry is quarantining himself after testing positive for COVID-19. Spokesman says he's asymptomatic.
#lalege
#lagov