Thursday, May 17th, 2012

Anti-tax crusader says Bobby Jindal would make great vice presidential candidate
by Bruce Alpert - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

WASHINGTON -- The nation's leading anti-tax crusader said today that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney would be wise to make Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal his vice presidential running mate. Grover Norquist, the anti-tax crusader who heads the advocacy group Americans for Tax Reform, wrote in Politico that Jindal would be a great VP choice because of his overhaul of Louisiana's educational system, his commitment never to raise state taxes and his work with the oil and gas industry. "Romney would do well to have a wing man who can astutely explain the flaws in President Barack Obama's policies and lay out the GOP's innovative, pro-growth alternatives. There are many attractive prospects out there, but Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal can do not just all that, he has already implemented the sort of bold reforms at the state level that are now desperately needed at the federal level," Norquist wrote in the op-ed co-written with Americans for Tax Reform's Patrick Gleason.

'Legacy lawsuit' compromise offered
Advocate (excerpt)

The Jindal administration announced late Wednesday a compromise on legislation involving “legacy lawsuits.” State Department of Natural Resources Secretary Scott Angelle said in a prepared statement that the compromise will speed up cleanup from oil and gas activities and ensure responsibility for the damage.

Legislators have been wrestling with how to deal with litigation, called legacy lawsuits, stemming from the contamination of land by oil and gas drilling activities over the decades.

Angelle said the compromise calls for his agency to structure a cleanup plan that will be admissible in court. He said oil and gas companies will be able to admit responsibility for the damage without admitting liability for private damages.

Election set Nov. 6 for Supreme Court seat
Advocate (excerpt)

Gov. Bobby Jindal called a special Nov. 6 election Wednesday for the 5th District seat covering Baton Rouge on the Louisiana Supreme Court being vacated by Chief Justice Kitty Kimball.

If no candidate wins outright, the runoff election would be held Dec. 1. Candidate qualifying will run Aug. 15-17.

Kimball, of Ventress, announced earlier that she would retire after 20 years on the court. Her last day on the job will be Jan. 31.

Hundreds of Louisiana prisoners wait for governor to decide on pardons
by Jan Moller - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

BATON ROUGE -- Shelby Arabie is a killer. That is not in dispute. Twenty-seven years ago, he fired the gun that killed Benny Posey after a high-speed chase that sprang from a botched marijuana deal. Arabie is also, in the opinion of Warden Burl Cain and many others, perhaps the most rehabilitated man in the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola -- a model inmate who has turned his life around, learned a trade and prepared himself about as well as one can for life as a free man. But ever since the five-member Louisiana Pardon Board voted unanimously last August to make Arabie eligible for parole, he joined a growing subset in Louisiana's criminal justice system. Arabie is now among several hundred felons -- the vast majority of whom have already served their time and been released -- whose pardon recommendations are waiting on the desk of Gov. Bobby Jindal.

White pitches plan during tour
by Barbara Leader - News Star (excerpt)

RUSTON — Education Superintendent John White heard from northern Louisiana educators Wednesday in Ruston for what was billed a conversation about the state's "Louisiana Believes" plan for education.

White is traveling the state answering questions and seeking input from educators on the education reform initiatives that will take effect for the 2012-13 school year. Wednesday's meeting was specifically for teachers. Thursday, White will meet with superintendents in Monroe.

"This is not the final plan; it's a draft plan," White said. "We're listening to teachers, finding out what is working in education and how we take it to the next level."

Committees advance abortion restriction bills
by Mark Ballard and Marsha Shuler - Advocate (excerpt)

Committees in both chambers of the state Legislature on Wednesday advanced bills aimed at further restricting abortion procedures in Louisiana.

The Senate Health and Welfare Committee approved two measures: Senate Bill 593, which would outlaw abortions after 20 weeks, and House Concurrent Resolution 11, which asks Congress not to fund Planned Parenthood.

At the same time, the House Health and Welfare committee backed Senate Bill 708, which would give women the option to listen to their unborn baby’s heartbeat before receiving an abortion.

Voters should get the chance to set school board term limits, panel says
by Ed Anderson - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

BATON ROUGE -- Voters should have the prerogative this fall to determine if local school boards members will be limited to three consecutive terms starting in 2014, a Senate committee said Wednesday. The Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs voted 4-3 for House Bill 292 by Rep. Steve Pugh, R-Pontchatoula, to give voters at the Nov. 6 presidential election the authority to set term limits for school board members. He said the bill would not count terms a board member has served prior to Jan. 1, 2014. The bill now heads to the Senate floor. Although the Louisiana School Board Association officials opposed the bill, they did not testify against it. Pugh said local-option elections would not be held in Jefferson or Lafayette parishes since lawmakers have passed special legislation establishing term limits in those areas. He said the bill would call for elections in 70 school districts.

Candidates could have to do ethics training
by Mike Hasten - News Star (excerpt)

BATON ROUGE — Any candidate running for the Legislature or for statewide office should complete ethics training, says Rep. Stuart Bishop, R-Lafayette.

The Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee Wednesday unanimously approved Bishop’s House Bill 365 and sent it to the full Senate for final approval. "I don’t see a problem with people knowing what they’re getting into,” said Sen. J.P. Morrell, D-New Orleans.

Bishop said the Ethics Board has the training on its website, so candidates would have easy access to it. At the end of the one-hour training, candidates can print out a certificate showing that they complied with the law. That certificate is to be included with the candidate’s first campaign finance statement filed with the Ethics Board.

Limitation on benefits advances
by Marsha Shuler - Advocate (excerpt)

Welfare recipients would be banned from getting cash back from their electronic benefits card under legislation that cleared a state Senate committee Wednesday. The measure, which already has cleared the House, would also stop use of the benefits card to purchase alcohol or tobacco or use at gambling or sexually oriented businesses.

House Bill 95, sponsored by state Rep. Cameron Henry, R-New Orleans, would allow purchase of other items at convenience and other stores that sell liquor.

The Senate Health and Welfare Committee voted 3-1 for the bill, which moves to the Senate floor for debate.

House backs bullying bill
by Will Sentell - Advocate (excerpt)

A scaled-down bill to curb bullying in public schools won Louisiana House approval Wednesday in less than five minutes, a rarity for an issue that often sparks heated arguments. The House endorsed the measure 73-16, which now moves to the state Senate and is sponsored by state Rep. Patricia Smith, D-Baton Rouge. Sixteen state representatives did not vote.

The key issue now is how that bill can be reconciled with a rival plan that passed the Senate last week 33-0, and which is backed by Gov. Bobby Jindal’s office.

Earlier in the day the House Education Committee approved that measure, Senate Bill 764, after some bickering on crucial issues between Smith and state Sen. Rick Ward III, D-Port Allen and sponsor of the legislation.

Panel backs easing students' passage
by Koran Addo - Advocate (excerpt)

The Louisiana House Education Committee advanced a two-bill package of Senate-passed legislation Wednesday intended to streamline operations in higher education. The first bill, Senate Bill 103 sponsored by state Sen. Ben Nevers, D-Bogalusa, would “do everything possible to remove the barriers of completion” imposed on degree-seeking students.

Nevers said the bill stems from a recommendation from the legislatively formed higher education Governance Commission he served on that wrapped up its work in January.

“This bill is not saying that every baccalaureate degree has to be 120 credit hours,” Nevers said. Based on nationwide standards, “We believe 120 should be the goal of a four-year college.”

In payroll fraud defense, Aaron Broussard gains attorney, loses request
by Richard Rainey - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

In a setback for his defense against federal payroll fraud charges, former Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard has lost his demand to see employment records from the U.S. attorney's office. U.S. District Judge Hayden Head denied the request Tuesday because defense attorney Robert Jenkins had demanded the employment policies and personnel records under the Freedom of Information Act. That law may not be used to seek evidence in a criminal case, Head wrote. Though Jenkins has not returned messages seeking comment, the phrasing of his request made it appear he planned to show that the procedures used by federal prosecutors for employees were similar to the ones that landed Broussard in trouble. Broussard and former Parish Attorney Tom Wilkinson face 38 federal charges each connected to the hiring of Broussard's love interest, Karen Parker. In October 2003, Wilkinson hired Parker as a paralegal supervisor after Broussard was elected parish president but before he took office. Wilkinson then erased the three-month gap in Parker's parish employment, from when she was working for Broussard's campaign. The move let Parker continue receiving longevity benefits, and Broussard allegedly rewarded Wilkinson with major pay raises.

House approves bill to require training for sheriffs
by Jeff Adelson and Ed Anderson - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

BATON ROUGE -- Sheriffs would be required to undergo training to be eligible for a pay raise, under a bill the House passed Wednesday. The program created by Senate Bill 97 will "reduce negative stigma" due to sheriffs who run afoul of the law, said Rep. Jeff Arnold, D-Algiers, who presented the bill to the House. The measure by Sen. J.P. Morrell, D-New Orleans, passed the House with a 94-1 vote, with Rep. Jim Fannin, D-Jonesboro, casting the only vote against the measure. The bill would require the governor's office to establish a five-member board to set up a training program for sheriffs. Each sheriff would be required to complete a training program within a year of taking office and complete 12 hours of continuing education every year. Any sheriff that completed those requirements would be eligible for a pay raise if the Legislature approved a pay raise to district court judges. The bill must go back to the upper chamber so Senators can consider amendments added in the House.

Wednesday, May 16th, 2012

Jindal spokesman: 'Confused' Treasurer Kennedy pushing 'half-baked gimmicks'
Associated Press (LA)

TO READ THIS AP WIRE ARTICLE CLICK ON STORY TITLE LINK ABOVE.

Senate rejects, then OKs CATS board
by Mark Ballard - Advocate (excerpt)

The state Senate at first rejected, then approved legislation late Tuesday that would change how members on the CATS Board of Commissioners are chosen. The Senate first voted 18-18 on House Bill 865 on Capital Area Transit System, called CATS, short of the majority needed for passage. State Sen. Sharon Weston Broome, D-Baton Rouge, who was handling the House-passed legislation, asked for reconsideration and her colleagues agreed. When the Senate voted again, HB865 won on a vote of 20 for and 15 against. The measure must return to the House for consideration of Senate changes.

Voting FOR changing the CATS board (20): President Alario and state Sens. Broome, Brown, Chabert, Cortez, Dorsey-Colomb, Gallot, Heitmeier, Johns, Martiny, Mills, Morrell, Murray, Nevers, Perry, Peterson, G. Smith, Tarver, Thompson and Ward.

Voting AGAINST HB865 (15): State Sen. Adley, Allain, Appel, Buffington, Claitor, Crowe, Donahue, Erdey, Kostelka, Long, Morrish, Riser, J. Smith, Walsworth and White.

Not Voting (4): Sens. Amedee, Guillory, LaFleur and Peacock.


COMMENTARY: Message to the House- This is not just another "local bill." Putting $300 million dollars into the hands of a bunch of bus riders is not in the best interest of the taxpayers! With all of the obvious problems BR is facing, how this issue became a priority is still very suspect to us.

Baton Rouge Area Chamber: "A Threat To Business"
(excerpt)

CENTRAL CITY NEWS

BATON ROUGE — It’s been a long time since locally-owned small businesses in East Baton Rouge Parish felt they had a place of influence in the Baton Rouge Area Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber has been the domain of large corporations and non-profit organizations for at least the past decade. Only those “investors” who give $10,000, $25,000, or $50,000 a year hold much sway over Baton Rouge Area Chamber policy.

But the Chamber really began to go down when it started getting $450,000 annually of your taxpayer dollars as a direct appropriation from Mayor-President Kip Holden and the Metro Council. Now the Mayor-President’s influence over Chamber policy is undeniable. The Chamber came out strongly in favor of Holden’s $1.1 billion Alive! proposal, which would have raised sales taxes in Central to 10.25 percent and raised property taxes. The Chamber also came out in favor of the Mayor’s One Baton Rouge proposal. Three developments over the past few days have completely shattered the Chamber’s image: Sponsorship of CATS Tax. The Baton Rouge business community — few of whom are Chamber members — is starting to realize that the Baton Rouge Area Chamber was the leading force behind passage of last Saturday’s $184 million CATS property tax. Instead of fighting the tax, the Chamber was the chief organizer in support of the tax and the largest donor ($15,000) for the tax. Opposition to Southeast Baton Rouge School System. On Tuesday, the Chamber came out against Sen. Bodi White’s bill to create the new Southeast Baton Rouge Community School District. In view of the success of the Central and Zachary community school systems, one would think the Chamber would be eager to embrace White’s bill as a major vehicle for bringing affordable, quality public schools to South Baton Rouge and stopping the massive exodus out of the parish. Creation of independent community school districts in South Baton Rouge is the key to saving East Baton Rouge Parish. Productive, working people will not return to this parish until we offer good quality public schools and safe neighborhoods. But, no, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber has put itself on the side of the failing East Baton Rouge Parish School System and a future which is bleak and hopeless. Communist Party Spokesman as Main Speaker at Annual Meeting. This morning, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber held its Annual Shareholder Meeting at the Renaissance Hotel. The main speaker was scheduled to be Martin Jacques, who served for nearly 20 years as editor of Marxism Today, the official journal of the Communist Party of Great Britain. Jacques, who has apparently never renounced his Community Party views, was scheduled to speak on the inevitability of Communist China ruling the world. An avowed Communist as keynote speaker at the Chamber’s annual meeting?

Adam Knapp, the Chamber president who is up to his neck in all of these decisions, reportedly told some of his Board members he didn’t know Jacques was a Communist (even though the Chamber’s own literature and website brags that Jacques was editor of the “renowned” publication Marxism Today.) Now some Chamber Board members reportedly have had enough and are ready to jump ship. The real question is whether the Chamber has drifted too far from the mainstream of the Baton Rouge business community and whether there is anything left to save.

Fannin pulls bill to merge LSU-S, La. Tech
Advocate (excerpt)

A push to fold LSU-Shreveport into the University of Louisiana System, and then merge the institution with Louisiana Tech, sputtered and then ran out of gas on the House floor Tuesday. The bill’s supporters acknowledged they didn’t have the two-thirds majority, or 70 votes needed to advance the bill.

House Bill 964, sponsored by state Rep. Jim Fannin, D-Jonesboro, was advertised as a way to expand many of Louisiana Tech’s academic programs into the Shreveport-Bossier community.

Fannin said he sponsored it because he believed it would save the state money by cutting out duplication of facilities and staffing between two areas about 70 miles apart.

House: Drug test welfare recipients
by Marsha Shuler - Advocate (excerpt)

The Louisiana House endorsed random drug-testing of 20 percent of the state’s welfare recipients Tuesday after rejecting an attempt to include TOPS recipients.

The House voted 65-26 for the measure, which its sponsor promoted as a drug-abuse prevention measure. Fourteen members did not vote. House Bill 380 goes to the Senate for debate.

Under HB380, positive drug-test results and failure to get education and rehabilitation would result in suspension of cash benefits through the Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program. The Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program provides temporary cash assistance to families with children when the financial resources of the family can’t meet subsistence needs. Able-bodied adult recipients must be involved in job training or education.

'Stabilization' funds intended to offset cuts
by Koran Addo - Advocate (excerpt)

A bill that would have given Louisiana’s college systems the ability to charge full-time students up to $300 in new fees each semester effectively died in the House Education Committee on Tuesday.

The proposed “stabilization” fee of up to $25 per credit hour in House Bill 1078 was intended to partially offset more than $100 million in state funding cuts higher education has absorbed since the beginning of last year, state Commissioner of Higher Education Jim Purcell has said.

Louisiana’s public universities are bracing for another $225 million reduction in state funding as outlined in House Bill 1, the state spending plan approved by the House on Friday.

Project list exceeds its budget
by Michelle Millhollon - Advocate (excerpt)

With little discussion, a Louisiana House panel Tuesday advanced a state construction budget that contains more projects than the state can afford. The House Committee on Ways and Means added $32 million in projects to House Bill 2, the $3.9 billion multi-year construction budget. Initial year project funding is in the fiscal year that starts July 1.

The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Joel Robideaux, said the state construction budget is at least $40 million out of balance when it comes to the borrowing available to fund projects in the next budget year.

Robideaux, R-Lafayette, said he will try to limit further amendments to the legislation on the House floor. He said he could not predict how many projects the state Senate will add to the bill. “It will probably get more over-appropriated,” Robideaux said. After the committee meeting, state Sen. Neil Riser, who will handle the bill in the Senate, said he wants to see how the legislation looks when it reaches his chamber before committing to limiting additional amendments.

Employee pension bill moves to Senate floor
Advocate (excerpt)

Gov. Bobby Jindal’s proposal to move new state employees to a 401(k)-type pension plan cleared another legislative hurdle Tuesday night.

The Senate Finance Committee, without objection, sent House Bill 61 to the Senate floor for debate. The committee vote came when the administration and the legislature’s retirement system actuaries gave conflicting testimony and reports on the financial impact of the change.

The administration’s Boston-based actuary predicted savings to the state and less exposure to new pension liabilities.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff finished 2011 with healthy war chest
by Michelle Hunter - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand finished 2011 with a successful reelection campaign and a healthy war chest to boot. Normand closed out the year with almost $1.5 million on hand for future elections, according to campaign finance reports filed in February. The sheriff, now in his second term, beat challenger Gladue "Joey" Istre with 91 percent of the vote in the Oct. 22 primary. Normand ran a low-key campaign against Istre, a former Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office deputy.
After his victory, Normand took in no contributions for the reporting period that covers Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, but he received $5,310 in other receipts, including interest income. Normand spent $46,788 during the two-month period on supplies, staff and constituent lunches, donations, gifts, the Sheriff's Office Christmas party and items related to his reign as King Argus this year.

Letten has 10 days to respond to recusal request in Aaron Broussard case
by Richard Rainey - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

The U.S. attorney's office in New Orleans has 10 days to answer embattled former Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard's demand that its prosecutors be removed from his payroll fraud case. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Hayden Head ordered U.S. Attorney Jim Letten to respond to Broussard's request. Broussard and former Parish Attorney Tom Wilkinson face 38 federal charges each of theft and conspiracy stemming from a payroll fraud scheme that benefited Broussard's ex-wife, Karen Parker. Parker and Broussard's former top aide, Tim Whitmer, have pleaded guilty to their roles in the case and are cooperating with prosecutors. Broussard's request hopes to piggyback on Letten's recent recusal from his office's investigation of the River Birch landfill and its owners, Fred Heebe and Jim Ward. The U.S. Justice Department took over that case after the outing of one of Letten's senior prosecutors, Sal Perricone, as an anonymous commenter on federal cases under the moniker "H.L. Mencken1951" on nola.com. Perricone has since retired.

New Orleans City Council fails again to achieve a quorum
by Michelle Krupa - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

Two weeks after they walked out of a New Orleans City Council session and left the legislative panel without a quorum to conduct public business, council members Cynthia Hedge-Morrell and Jon Johnson failed to show up to this morning's special meeting, again leaving the body unable to do its work. "Councilman Johnson notified us at 9 o'clock this morning he would not be coming," Council President Jackie Clarkson said shortly after the council clerk called the roll. "Ms. Morrell called at 8, earlier this morning, to say that she is not feeling well. We wish her well, " Four council members -- Stacy Head, Susan Guidry, Kristin Gisleson Palmer and Clarkson -- showed up for the 9 a.m. session. The District B seat is vacant. Though they could not vote on any of the 31 items on today's agenda, council members met for about a half-hour this morning and heard brief testimony from city finance officials about the impact of the council impasse on government business. Hedge-Morrell and Johnson left the May 3 meeting shortly after the failure of an ordinance they co-authored that would have changed the way voters elect the council's two at-large members and moments before a vote on the temporary appointment of urban planner Errol George to fill the District B seat.

Tuesday, May 15th, 2012

Jeff Landry announces he will go head-to-head with Boustany for re-election
by Jonathan Tilove - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

WASHINGTON - Freshman Rep. Jeff Landry, R- New Iberia, is running for re-election, setting up what promises to be a bruising intraparty showdown with Rep. Charles Boustany, R-Lafayette. Landry made the announcement in Youngsville, a community located midway between his hometown of New Iberia and Boustany's hometown of Lafayette. The incumbent-vs-incumbent race is a consequence of Louisiana losing one of its seven congressional districts as a result of redistricting following the 2010 Census. Landry has his strengths. He is a nimble and natural campaigner with an infectious personality. He has also come to typify the type of harder-line tea party anti-Washington conservative that was swept into off in the 2010 election, while Boustany, a senior Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee is closely aligned with House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, whose leadership PAC has donated to Boustany's campaign. Boustany, a retired surgeon, is as low-key and genteel as Landry is fresh and unvarnished. In his prepared remarks in Youngsville, Landry said, "If you think the way Washington runs is bad - I am here to tell you it is even worse than you thought. Because there are some Republicans who claim they are conservative but vote like liberals. It happens - because they're more interested in keeping their jobs than fighting for your jobs." "The only way to fix that is to send real conservatives to Congress and not re-elect career politicians," he said. "And it is why I am announcing right here tonight - right now - that I am running for re-election to the United States Congress. Now let me tell you this - I am not your typical Congressman. If that is what you are looking for, that's not me; that's the other guy."

Americans Elect vote deadline hours away
by Jonathan Tilove - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

WASHINGTON -- Visitors to the Americans Elect site today are told that there are "0 Days left until Caucus Round 1," which would seem to suggest the balloting to select an independent candidate for president, via the Internet, is commencing. But, it may be more accurate to say that time has just about run out for Americans Elect and that its ambitious plan to select a presidential candidate on-line who it would place on all 50 state ballots may be on the verge of shutting down. "Yes, the deadline is 11:59:59 tonight," Americans Elect spokesman Ileana Wachtel said in an email this morning, referring to the requirement that, in order to compete in the Americans Elect voting a candidate must first gain 1,000 clicks from supporters in each of 10 states. The leading declared candidate, by a mile, is former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer, but as of today he had only 5,618 clicks, and the most from any single state is 583 from California. "I have 1 day to get 10K supporters on @AmericansElect -- take 5 minutes today to sign up and support me," Roemer tweeted Sunday.

School district bill advances
by Will Sentell - Advocate (excerpt)

A bill that would pave the way for a breakaway school district in southeast Baton Rouge was cleared Monday for a showdown vote in the full Louisiana House. The measure, Senate Bill 563, won approval in the House Appropriations Committee, which was asked to review the financial impact of the change.

The vote was 11-8 and generally broke along party lines, with Republicans mostly behind the measure and Democrats opposed. The bill, along with a proposed constitutional amendment that is also awaiting a House vote, are both needed for the change to move forward.

The ballot measure, which is Senate Bill 299, requires 70 votes, or a two-thirds majority. Asked if he has the needed support, state Sen. Bodi White, R-Central said “It’s doable. I think we can get the votes.”

Senate gives OK to amended state retirement proposal
by Jeff Adelson - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

BATON ROUGE -- Increased employee contributions to the state's retirement systems would be triggered by merit pay increases under a heavily watered-down version of one of Gov. Bobby Jindal's pension bills that gained Senate approval Monday. The measure has been one of the most controversial aspects of Jindal's proposed retirement overhaul. The amended version of Senate Bill 52, which also includes provisions to suspend the extra payments if the health of the retirement systems improves, passed the Senate on a 24-12 vote. Earlier Monday, the Senate Retirement Committee gave unanimous approval to another of the administration's retirement bills which would put new workers in a 401(k)-style plan instead of providing a traditional pension. That bill has already been approved by the House.

Teachers leader assails Jindal laws
by Mark Ballard - Advocate (excerpt)

Louisiana Association of Educators President Joyce Haynes told the Press Club on Monday that union leaders are looking at possible lawsuits and they plan to come back next year to try to overturn Gov. Bobby Jindal’s sweeping education revamp.

Under Act 1 current teachers rated as “ineffective” — likely the bottom 10 percent — would lose tenure immediately and could face dismissal proceedings. Act 1 becomes law on July 1. New teachers would have to be rated as “highly effective” — the top 10 percent — for five out of six years to become tenured.

The evaluations will start with the 2012-13 school year — the spring of 2013. However, teachers will not face a loss of tenure until the 2013-14 school year — the spring of 2014.

Health, higher-ed officials warn of dire consequences of House cuts
by Jeff Adelson - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

BATON ROUGE -- Health programs including hospice care, a behavioral health hospital and services for the disabled are on the chopping block, and higher education is anticipating hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts under a proposal aimed at meeting House demands that the state not use one-time money for expenses next year, officials told the Senate Finance Committee Monday. Health care and higher education leaders and officials in Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration warned of dire consequences if the Senate fails to restore almost $267.7 million the House stripped from the state's $25 billion budget. "These are our most vulnerable populations, people with multiple challenges and this will impact everyone's quality of life and their health outcomes at the end of the day," Secretary of Health and Hospital Bruce Greenstein said after the hearing.

Senate backs bill on military, TOPS
Advocate (excerpt)

The state Senate voted unanimously Monday in approving a measure that would extend military members’ eligibility of their TOPS scholarships. Senate Bill 579 would supersede current law, which limits high school graduates who join the military to a one-year grace period after completing their first tour in the armed forces to use a TOPS scholarship.

Under the legislation sponsored by state Sen. Robert Adley, R-Benton, veterans would be allowed to enlist in the armed forces multiple times — provided they maintain continuous active duty — without losing their scholarship eligibility.

The basic Taylor Opportunity Program for Students covers tuition and some fees for public universities and colleges in the state. SB579 will go to the state House for consideration.

Hornets tax break package on its way to Gov. Jindal
by Ed Anderson - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

BATON ROUGE -- The New Orleans Hornets should get a tax break of $36.5 million over a 10-year period as part of a new deal with the state, senators said Monday. On a 28-7 vote, senators approved House Bill 1072 by Rep. Cameron Henry, R-Jefferson, sending it to Gov. Bobby Jindal who is expected to sign it. The bill is part of the package of concessions the state made in negotiations to keep the National Basketball Association franchise playing at the Arena through at least 2024, and possibly 2029. Sens. Karen Carter Peterson, D-New Orleans, and Ben Nevers, D-Bogalusa, were the only New Orleans area senators who voted against the bill.

Legislature calls on NFL to take another look at Saints' penalties
by Ed Anderson - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

BATON ROUGE -- The Legislature wants the National Football League reconsider the sanctions it imposed on the New Orleans Saints, its coaches and players in the wake of the bounty scandal. On a 28-1 vote, the Senate passed House Concurrent Resolution 50 by Rep. Cameron Henry, R-Jefferson. The resolution passed the House without objection March 23. Henry's resolution urges the league to reconsider the penalties imposed, including a one-year suspension for head coach Sean Payton and fines for a handful of current and former players who allegedly took part in a system in which cash bonuses were paid for big hits on opponents. The sanctions also include a six-week suspension for assistant coach Joe Vitt, and an eight-week suspension for General Manager Mickey Loomis. The franchise was slapped with a fine of $500,000.

Three bills aimed at state's incarceration rate on the way to Gov. Bobby Jindal
by Ed Anderson - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

BATON ROUGE -- Three bills that could reduce the amount of time convicted felons have to serve behind bars are on their way to Gov. Bobby Jindal's desk. Senators voted 31-5 Monday for House Bill 1026 by Rep. Joseph Lopinto III, R-Metairie, to allow inmates who are in jail for a second non-violent, non-sex-related felony to apply for parole after serving one-third of their sentence. State law now requires them to serve at least half of their sentences before applying for parole. The bill would prohibit inmates sentenced as "habitual offenders" from applying for the early parole.

Public school rebate bill advances to the Senate
by Mike Hasten - News Star (excerpt)

BATON ROUGE — Over strong objections of the Jindal administration and Superintendent of Education John White, a Senate committee advanced legislation that would grant rebates to people or businesses who contribute to improving public schools.

The Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee attached what Rep. Katrina Jackson, D-Monroe, calls "complementary amendments" that help her HB1106 before sending it to the Senate. Because it could increase state expenditures, the bill will be dual referred to the Senate Finance Committee for further review. "We're voting for the 95 percent of the children left in public schools that we have to educate," Jackson said, referring to a new statewide voucher program that would send some public school students to private schools.

Under her bill, a 25 percent tax rebate would be given for donations to a school graded B or C in the state school accountability program, a 50 percent tax rebate for donations to a D school and a 75 percent tax rebate for donations to an F school.

Lawmakers push for stronger reporting on child abuse
by Jeff Adelson - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

BATON ROUGE -- A bill to strengthen the penalty for failing to report the sexual abuse of a child and three measures dealing with sex offenders are headed to the governor's desk after passing Senate on Monday. House Bill 577, inspired by the Penn State sex abuse scandal, imposes a penalty of up to three years in prison, a fine of up to $3,000 or both for any "mandatory reporter" who fails to notify authorities about the abuse -- sexual, physical or neglect that results in serious bodily injury, neurological damage or death -- of a child. The bill, filed by Rep. Joseph Lopinto III, R-Metairie, also requires that anyone 18-years-old or older who witnesses the sexual abuse of a child and knowingly or willfully fails to report it can be imprisoned for up to five years, fined $10,000 or both.

Bill revising way state pays N.O. casino contract eases out of House panel
by Ed Anderson - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

BATON ROUGE -- The city of New Orleans would be paid directly from the funds generated by the land-based Harrah's casino instead of having to go through the annual appropriations process under a bill approved Monday by the House Appropriations Committee. Without objection, the panel gave unanimous support to House Bill 183 by speaker Pro Tem Walt Leger III, D-New Orleans. The bill, similar to one passed by lawmakers but vetoed by Gov. Bobby Jindal last year, now heads to the House floor for debate. Leger said that the state budget bill, House Bill 1, now contains the $3.6 million the state has contracted to pay the city for enhanced police, fire and emergency services in the area of Harrah's casino.