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Office of Motor Vehicle branches in Lafayette and three other cities have been closed temporarily because of the coronavirus pandemic, Office of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Karen St. Germain said Tuesday morning.
Senate Education Committee Chairman Cleo Fields on Monday asked the president of Louisiana's top school board to have the panel suspend public school athletic activities during the fall because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Republicans notched several important legislative victories in the regular session and in the special session that ended Tuesday, showing they can muster the votes to pass measures favored by the state’s powerful business interests.
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When Louisiana lawmakers returned to the State Capitol in early May after a six-week hiatus because of the coronavirus, they faced the prospect of passing a budget that was down almost $1 billion in revenues from previous estimates.
State lawmakers have approved spending $2 million to tackle Louisiana's alarming reading problem for its youngest students, in part because a 24-year-old former teacher made a successful pitch to one of the Legislature's top leaders.
A day after calling for the resignation of fellow board member Connie Bernard, East Baton Rouge Parish School Board President Mike Gaudet is himself being asked to resign as president of the board.
Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Thursday that one of his State Capitol staffers tested positive for COVID-19.
Louisiana small businesses can start applying for up to $15,000 grants each on July 28, Treasurer John Schroder announced Wednesday, after he selected three firms to run the $275 million program set up by Republican lawmakers.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards will hold a 2:30 p.m. news conference Wednesday to address the state's on-going response to coronavirus.
A change shrouded in secrecy will exempt Treasury Secretary John Schroder from key rules governing how he can disburse a huge pot of federal money to small businesses.
Louisiana lawmakers Tuesday passed the state’s $35 billion budget that seeks to halt pay raises for state employees along with a flurry of other laws in the final hours of a month-long special session concerned partly with coronavirus recovery.
After much negotiation and toil, the Louisiana Legislature finally approved on Tuesday legislation that changes how Louisiana courts operate in hopes that it will bring down auto insurance rates.
With the special session nearing the end, the Louisiana Senate passed Monday possible compromise legislation aimed at lowering auto insurance rates by limiting lawsuit options in state district courts for people injured in car wrecks.
Legislation that would ban most civil lawsuits against school districts and colleges if students or teachers contract the coronavirus will be decided on the final day of the special session.
A political committee associated with the Baton Rouge Area Chamber has joined the chorus calling for the resignation, and failing that, the recall from office of East Baton Rouge Parish School Board member Connie Bernard.
An online survey launched a week ago asking for new names for Lee Magnet High School has received more than 4,200 responses so far, though some respondents only offered comments but no new new names, said a spokeswoman for the East Baton Rouge Rou…
Louisiana lawmakers gave final legislative approval Monday to send $250 “hazard pay” checks to up to 200,000 frontline workers and came close to taking the final step on overhauling the state’s legal system in hopes of lowering auto insurance rates.
Gov. John Bel Edwards has decided to use $32 million of $50 million in discretionary federal dollars for computers and improved internet access for public school students, officials said Monday.
An unprecedented special session called by Republican legislators during the coronavirus crisis still must resolve two key issues before adjournment at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The coronavirus pandemic has caused more confusion and uncertainty than just about anyone can remember.
As the Louisiana Legislature heads into its final 48 hours of what has been two back-to-back sessions, overwhelming Republican majorities were able to strip the name of George Floyd, whose death while being detained by Minneapolis police set off a…
The Louisiana state Senate on Friday passed a state spending plan that uses hundreds of millions in federal aid to plug holes and freezes state pay for workers, as lawmakers are set to hash out which tax breaks for businesses they will pass in the…
Though a Senate panel wanted only one “tort reform” bill, the committee Friday advanced a second measure along with three House-passed nuclear options that would only go into effect if a measure doesn’t pass or is vetoed.
A proposal to send $250 checks to thousands of frontline workers in Louisiana has gained widespread favor in the state Legislature and is close to becoming law, after the state Senate approved the bill Friday.
Louisiana Treasurer John Schroder's office confirmed one of its staffers tested positive for the coronavirus this week, the latest infection at the State Capitol to come to light.
With cases and hospitalizations rising in Louisiana and its neighboring states, Gov. John Bel Edwards on Thursday signed an order that keeps the state in Phase 2 of reopening for another month, as a group of Republican lawmakers renewed a push to …
With only five days left in the special session and still no bill aimed at lowering auto insurance rates has won final approval. But, a Senate committee is doing belts and suspenders to get some instrument to the governor’s desk before the special…
Legislation that will set up a 25-member task force to study police practices statewide won final legislative approval Thursday when the Senate approved it 33-0.
A Louisiana House committee on Thursday shot down three resolutions related to unemployment benefits as members debated how much aid should go to businesses versus workers as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
Organizers of the effort to recall three-term East Baton Rouge Parish School Board member Connie Bernard will begin their effort in earnest Monday to start gathering signatures from upset constituents.
Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser is looking into claims by a state museum board member that a racist post attributed to her was not hers but the result of a hack of her Facebook account.
Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration and Treasurer John Schroder said Wednesday they have struck an agreement ending a three-year dispute over Louisiana's unclaimed property money that has tied up millions of dollars earmarked for government prog…
In Louisiana's senate, a move to halt raises for state workers and use a pot of money for tax breaks
Louisiana state senators are pushing to halt pay raises for state workers and to use millions in unclaimed property to pay for tax breaks for businesses, as they work to finalize the state’s budget plans in the final days of the special session.
Louisiana lawmakers have agreed to the taxing rate for fantasy sports betting, edging the state closer to starting the competitions for online cash prizes in 47 parishes where voters agreed to legalize the activity.
The Louisiana House passed a potential compromise bill Tuesday aimed at winning support from Gov. John Bel Edwards, who vetoed an earlier effort that sought to lower car insurance rates by limiting injury lawsuits.
Despite angry comments at the end of the debate, the Louisiana House on Wednesday overwhelmingly endorsed a plan to study police practices statewide and all but guaranteed final approval of the proposal.
A local commission is inching forward with plans for a study to see if restrictions on Baton Rouge-area industries or other major conservation measures are necessary to preserve the area’s drinking water — but it hasn’t figured out yet how to pay for it.
Two members of a legislative task force comprise one of the 11 bidders for a potentially multi-million-dollar contract to run a small business grant program have prompted calls by at least one top Republican lawmaker to drop out because of their r…
The Louisiana House approved Tuesday an end run around the governor should he veto legislation aimed at lowering auto insurance rates at the expense, opponents say, of throwing the state’s civil justice system into chaos.
State Senate President Page Cortez began asking senators to wear masks Monday after a student worker in the Senate tested positive for the coronavirus, as did the spouses of several staffers.
The Louisiana Senate extended a popular tax credit Tuesday that will cost the state at least $75 million a year, but the Senate sidelined for a day three other tax bills that would cost the treasury millions more.
A bill that would shield public and private school systems from civil lawsuits if students or teachers contract the coronavirus won Louisiana House approval Tuesday.
A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit challenging Louisiana's emergency plan for its July presidential primary and August municipal elections, a plan written in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
After resisting widespread calls to resign, embattled East Baton Rouge Parish School Board member Connie Bernard is facing a recall petition that seeks to force her out of office.
Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome says she wants her new Commission on Racial Equity and Inclusion to tackle the issue of removing Confederate monuments and renaming streets and buildings in the near future.
After two years of intense debate, the state Senate Monday night approved a watered-down version of legislation aimed at lowering auto insurance rates by changing how Louisiana’s civil justice system operates.
State Treasurer John Schroder said Monday he hopes to start in July distributing about $300 million in federal coronavirus aid funds to small businesses, under a program for which more than 450,000 businesses are estimated to be eligible.
Four East Baton Rouge Parish School Board members are calling for colleague Connie Bernard to resign from the board after recent comments she made defending Robert E. Lee as well as her apparently shopping online Thursday night as the board was de…
With Lee High School poised to get a new name, Baton Rouge activist Gary Chambers is focusing on removing other symbols of the Confederacy in Louisiana, but also removing from office the politician he famously criticized Thursday night, East Baton…
Voters in East Baton Rouge and East Feliciana parishes will see several mayoral races on their ballots for the July 11 election.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards urged Louisiana residents last week to “do a real gut check” about whether they are taking enough personal precautions to lessen their coronavirus risk, as the state is showing a worrying rise in cases.