State Politics

Lance Harris was a powerful legislator in the state House, but he's termed out of office

BY TYLER BRIDGES | Staff writer
Updated 6 hrs ago

For nearly eight years, legislators invariably crowded around the desk of Rep. Lance Harris in the House chamber.

Baton Rouge is at the center of successful negotiations to avoid national default

BY MARK BALLARD | Staff writer
Updated 7 hrs ago

WASHINGTON – Baton Rouge was at the table to cobble together a deal that averted an unprecedented U.S. default that could have plunged the nation and the world into economic recession.

Joe Orgeron has a Ph.D. in physics. Becoming a state legislator wasn't part of the plan.

BY TYLER BRIDGES | Staff writer
Updated 8 hrs ago

The Louisiana Legislature includes lawyers, insurance brokers, business owners - and a representative who has a doctorate in high energy particle physics.

As Democrats sit out, Republicans advance ban on trans youth health care

BY SAM KARLIN | Staff writer
Updated 7 hrs ago

Republicans on a Senate committee voted Friday to advance a ban on gender-affirming health care for transgender youth, after a procedural move allowed the ban to be revived after it was voted …

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Deal approved, Biden will address budget, debt agreement from Oval Office Friday evening

By CHRIS MEGERIAN | Associated Press
Updated 12 hrs ago

President Joe Biden will address the nation Friday evening from the Oval Office on the budget deal that lifts the federal debt limit and averts a U.S. government default. The legislation was p…

Louisiana's proposed ban on trans health care for youth is revived by the Senate

By JAMES FINN | Staff writer
Updated Jun 1, 2023

A bill to ban access to health care for transgender youth killed by a legislative panel last week was revived Thursday by the Louisiana Senate, which means one of the most divisive issues faci…

Debt limit deal leans on changes to food stamps

BY MARK BALLARD | Staff writer
Updated Jun 1, 2023

WASHINGTON – Nearly a fifth of the state’s residents receive the food stamps that were an integral part of the deal cut between House Republicans and the Biden administration to keep the U.S. …

Louisiana lawmakers work behind scenes to resolve budget stalemate: 'Time to accelerate'

By JAMES FINN | Staff writer
Updated Jun 1, 2023

The Louisiana House and Senate worked behind the scenes Thursday to resolve an impasse over how to spend $2.2 billion in extra cash, though the end of the legislative workday brought few solutions.

John Belton drops out of AG race, will remain as district attorney in north Louisiana

BY TYLER BRIDGES | Staff writer
Updated Jun 1, 2023

John Belton, a district attorney in north Louisiana, dropped out of the attorney general’s race Thursday.

'Don't Say Gay' bill, ban on using some pronouns in schools advance to Louisiana Senate

By JAMES FINN | Staff writer
Updated Jun 1, 2023

Talking about sexuality and gender identity in Louisiana public schools could soon be illegal under a pair of bills that advanced Thursday to the full state Senate, part of a nationwide rise i…

LGBTQ+ people flock to Florida for Gay Days festival

By MIKE SCHNEIDER | Associated Press
Updated Jun 1, 2023

Central Florida is about to become a hub of LGBTQ+ life. That's because tens of thousands of people are flocking to the area's theme parks and hotels this week to go on thrill rides, dance at …

Louisiana joins nine other states to sue feds over skyrocketing flood insurance premiums

By MIKE SMITH | Staff writer
Updated Jun 1, 2023

Louisiana is joining nine other states in a lawsuit against the federal government over its new system for setting flood insurance rates, which is triggering steep hikes for homeowners, Attorn…

John Bel Edwards urges Louisiana lawmakers to ensure coastal projects are funded

By MIKE SMITH | Staff writer
Updated Jun 1, 2023

"We have very significant challenges to our coast," Edwards said. "And a big part of that has to do with climate change, which is real."

Louisiana university leaders blast 'racist' inquiry into diversity, inclusion programs

By JAMES FINN | Staff writer
Updated Jun 1, 2023

Top Louisiana university officials on Wednesday decried an effort to have schools report to state education leaders and lawmakers about how diversity, equity and inclusion programs work on col…

Orleans Parish DA Jason Williams is considering a gubernatorial bid

BY TYLER BRIDGES | Staff writer
Updated May 31, 2023

Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said Wednesday that he is considering getting into the governor’s race because of recent attacks by Attorney General Jeff Landry, the Republican…

After fighting, wrestling with client, Ascension councilman's law license suspended

BY DAVID J. MITCHELL | Staff writer
May 31, 2023

Ascension Parish Councilman Corey Orgeron agreed to suspend his law license for 30 days and then work under two years’ probation to settle a state disciplinary investigation after he got into …

Republican Super PAC attacks Jeff Landry on crime. Steve Scalise wants it withdrawn.

BY TYLER BRIDGES | Staff writer
May 31, 2023

A super PAC supporting Stephen Waguespack’s gubernatorial bid aired a TV ad Wednesday attacking Jeff Landry’s crime-fighting credentials – and was quickly blasted by Louisiana’s highest-ranked…

Senate confirms Baton Rouge lawyer Darrel Papillion for New Orleans federal court

BY MARK BALLARD | Staff writer
Updated May 31, 2023

WASHINGTON – Baton Rouge lawyer Darrel Papillion became one of the few judicial presidential picks to easily clear the U.S. Senate's confirmation process when the Senate Tuesday confirmed him …

Louisiana could crack down on minors' social media use starting next year

BY SAM KARLIN | Staff writer
May 30, 2023

Louisiana could crack down next year on minors' social media use, potentially requiring age verification for Facebook, Instagram and other platforms as part of a national push to shield childr…

Who will be the next House Speaker and Senate president? The campaign has already begun.

BY TYLER BRIDGES | Staff writer
May 30, 2023

They are the two most important political races underway in Louisiana this year that no one is talking about, at least not openly.

EPA failed to oversee Lake Pontchartrain Basin grant program: GAO

BY MARK SCHLEIFSTEIN | Staff writer
May 30, 2023

Federal regulators have failed to adequately oversee a grant program that has dispensed $31 million over the last two decades to improve the health of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin, even as the…

Louisiana Senate approves raising key spending limit at center of Capitol budget fight

By JAMES FINN | Staff writer
Updated May 30, 2023

The Louisiana Senate voted unanimously Monday to breach a state spending limit at the heart of a political rift over what the state should do with some $2.2 billion in extra tax collections.

Louisiana could give $500 tax credits to people who buy gun safes, locks

By JAMES FINN | Staff writer
Updated May 29, 2023

Louisiana could incentivize gun owners to buy safes, locks and other gun safety devices with a new $500 tax credit that's poised to earn approval from the state Legislature — an effort that co…

Effort to ban transgender health care for Louisiana youth driven by misleading claims

By JAMES FINN | Staff writer
Updated May 29, 2023

An effort to ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth, which lawmakers are trying to resurrect at the State Capitol, is being fueled by a barrage of claims rebutted as dangerous…

Mark Ballard: Congress needs to tackle Social Security problems soon

BY MARK BALLARD | Staff writer
May 27, 2023

WASHINGTON — "The West Wing," a popular television show about a fictional president and his staff, in 2000 devoted parts of several episodes to the political drama surrounding the need to shor…

Louisiana braces for federal government default

BY MARK BALLARD | Staff writer
Updated May 29, 2023

WASHINGTON – Economists and politicians are unclear on what will happen if Congress and the White House fail to increase the debt limit sometime during the next week and the country defaults o…

Bar bill filed after Madison Brooks' death will not become law, sponsor says, vowing to try again

By PAUL COBLER | Staff writer
May 26, 2023

A bill in the Legislature filed in response to the January death of LSU student Madison Brooks has been declared dead by its sponsor after it was deferred by a committee over concerns it would…

Rep. Stuart Bishop abandons attempt to scrunitize state tax breaks

BY TYLER BRIDGES | Staff writer
Updated May 26, 2023

Rep. Stuart Bishop on Tuesday gave up on his long-shot effort to overhaul Louisiana’s tax code.