Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

EDITORIAL: Expendable bureaucrats?
News Star (excerpt)

These are tough times for Louisiana. The Legislature last session tackled significant budget cuts. Higher education was handed once again midyear reductions.

State government is leaner. Between June 30, 2005, and June 30, 2011, the overall headcount in state government decreased by 11,210 or 11.8 percent. Excluding higher education and counting only state agency employees, the employee headcount decreased by 5,651 (11.7 percent) and the number of full time equivalents (FTEs) dropped 5,539 (11.6 percent).

It would stand to reason that the reduced work force would save taxpayers substantial money.

Lake Charles businessman gives $1 million to super PAC backing Santorum
by Bruce Alpert - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

WASHINGTON -- William Dore, who became wealthy overseeing the steady expansion of a Lake Charles offshore diving and construction firm from three to more than 6,000 employees, contributed $1 million to the political action committee backing Rick Santorum's GOP presidential campaign. The donation, one of the largest of the 2012 election cycle, went to the Red, White and Blue Fund, a super political action committee supporting Santorum's surging presidential campaign. Dore's single contribution to the Santorum super PAC matches the $1 million in total contributions to the fund given by Foster Friess, a financial fund manager in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Between them, Dore and Friess provided two-thirds of the $3 million raised by the Red, White and Blue Fund.

Education reform, ISDs hot topics at legislative luncheon
by Mary Nash-Wood - Shreveport Times (excerpt)

As legislators prepare to head to Baton Rouge on March 12, board members and administrators at Caddo Parish schools want their delegation to know where the district stands on issues ranging from Gov. Bobby Jindal's education reform plan to talk of breaking up Caddo schools.

Legislators have been busily making the rounds to speak to many local organizations in the weeks leading up to the regular session, including several stopping by The Times' offices Tuesday morning to kick of The Times' series of roundtable discussions.

"For the past four years, we've gathered to discuss what's affecting our district and to make you aware of our positions on issues," board member Lillian Priest said.

Alexandria native transforming Southern University
by Jeff Matthews - The Town Talk (excerpt)

James Llorens knew he was stepping into a difficult situation when he agreed to become chancellor of Southern University in Baton Rouge.

The Alexandria native didn't know just how difficult, though, until he sat down for a chat with his predecessor last July.

"The more I listened to it," Llorens told the Alexandria Rotary Club on Tuesday, "the more I said, 'What have I gotten myself into?'"

Grace denies shakedown
by Bill Lodge - Advocate (excerpt)

Former St. Gabriel Mayor George Grace Sr. disputed allegations Tuesday by a Houston businessman that he pressured the man for a percentage of his profits from a municipal contract.

That’s an outrageous lie,” Grace said during his trial on federal racketeering, bribery, fraud and extortion charges in Baton Rouge.

The former mayor of 17 years said that denial extends to funds Luis Gonzales received in 2006 and 2007 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Councilman on ethics complaint: 'I'm not backing down'
by Bret H. McCormick - The Town Talk (excerpt)

Alexandria City Councilman Jerry W. Jones Jr. adamantly defended himself Tuesday against an ethics complaint that was filed against him earlier this month.

The complaint, filed with the Louisiana Ethics Administration on Feb. 10 by Alexandria attorney Greg Aymond on behalf of citizens Jules Green and Gayle Underwood, alleges that Jones on Jan. 24 unethically voted in favor of a resolution that applied to himself.

In addition, the complainants allege that Jones, who was appointed to the District 3 council seat on Dec. 13, had an unethical business relationship with City Council President Harry Silver, who owns the Weiss & Goldring clothing store in Alexandria.

New school district gets support
by Charles Lussier - Advocate (excerpt)

About 200 people filled the pews at Woodlawn Baptist Church on the night of Mardi Gras to learn more about a new proposed school district that would be the fourth one carved out of the East Baton Rouge Parish school system.

State Sen. Bodi White, R-Central, confessed he was not sure of the support for a new southeast Baton Rouge school district, but Tuesday’s crowd and many emails assured him otherwise.

“I see no reason in the world that this couldn’t be the most successful school system in the state of Louisiana, and be a place where you’ll want to send your kids and your grandkids to,” White said. The informational meeting was called by the newly formed group, Local Schools for Local Children.

Commission puts pajama ordinance to bed
by Kristi Johnston - Shreveport Times (excerpt)

An ordinance that would have banned wearing pajamas in public has been put to bed by Caddo Parish commissioners.

During Tuesday's work session, the commission voted 8-4 not to put the ordinance on today's regular agenda.

Commissioners Doug Dominick, Lyndon Johnson, Matthew Linn, Joyce Bowman, Lindora Baker, Mike Thibodeaux, David Cox and Jim Smith voted no. Commissioners Michael Williams, Stephanie Lynch, John Escude and Ken Epperson were in favor of putting the ordinance on today's agenda.

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

Governor's budget taps tourism funds
by Marsha Shuler - Advocate (excerpt)

Less than half of about $23 million dedicated for state tourism promotion and marketing efforts would go to the purpose under the Jindal administration’s proposed budget.

Jindal’s budget plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1 directs $12.8 million to pay state commitments to stage a variety of special events such as the 2013 Super Bowl and the NCAA Women’s Final Four, arts grants and operating costs of a new state museum in Natchitoches. The Super Bowl is taking $6 million and the Final Four another $1 million.

Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater said the budget decisions were all about “setting priorities.” If the state had to come up with extra dollars to meet Super Bowl, Final Four and other commitments “that would have meant cutting health care, higher education and K-12 and we weren’t going to do that,” Rainwater said. “He (Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne) has plenty of money to cover his costs.” Dardenne complained that state commitments to 16 events, projects and programs are coming out of money statutorily dedicated for advertising and marketing the state.

Jindal proposes borrowing funds for rural road repairs
by Will Sentell - Advocate (excerpt)

Gov. Bobby Jindal said Monday he wants to borrow money to generate $325 million in repairs to rural roads across Louisiana. Jindal said the plan, which would require bonds to be issued, would pay for resurfacing and other improvements on nearly 1,000 miles of roads that are not eligible for federal matching dollars.

The Governor’s Office issued a two-page news release about the proposal at midafternoon Monday when many state officials were off work celebrating Mardi Gras. The proposal is likely to be a key topic during the 2012 legislative session, which begins March 12.

“The reality is that many of our rural roads have not received any significant repairs in over 30 years due to a lack of funding,” the governor said in a prepared statement. “That’s unacceptable and we have a solution to bring more dollars to these projects and make sure every part of our state has a solid infrastructure,” he said.

EDITORIAL: Picard legacy needs support
Advocate (excerpt)

With education funding under pressure in the proposed new state budget, one item held steady despite cuts elsewhere: Louisiana’s LA4 pre-kindergarten program.

While it’s hardly full funding, in the sense that there’s a great need for early childhood education, at $76 million in the governor’s proposal to the Legislature, LA4 is one of the significant winners in the state Department of Education budget.

This testifies to the support of Gov. Bobby Jindal for early childhood education, said John White, the new state superintendent of education. More than 16,000 students participate in six-hour programs and another 1,000 are in four-hour before- and after-school enrichment programs for at-risk 4-year-olds, the department said.

La. College sues Obama administration over health-care rules on birth control
by Billy Gunn - The Town Talk (excerpt)

A Protestant legal organization has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Louisiana College seeking to stop President Obama from enacting a provision in his national health-care law that mandates employees have access to birth control, including drugs that cause abortions.

In the 17-page lawsuit filed Saturday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, the Alliance Defense Fund said making LC provide birth control "violates LC's sincerely held religious beliefs regarding abortion." "As part of its religious commitment, LC has ensured that its insurance policies do not cover drugs, devices, services or procedures inconsistent with its faith," the suit states.

"The mandate would apply to abortion-inducing drugs and counseling regarding those drugs, and that's the real problem," said J. Michael Johnson, dean of LC's Paul Pressler School of Law in Shreveport and an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund.

Landrieu expected to lead Zulu Mardi Gras parade on horseback
by Michelle Krupa - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

Keep an eye out for New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu -- on horseback -- leading the Krewe of Zulu down Jackson and St. Charles avenues this Mardi Gras morning en route to his honorary viewing stand in front of Gallier Hall. Reprising his 2011 ride, Landrieu is expected to help guide the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club -- and its hundreds of riders donning black-face make-up and grass skirts -- through throngs that undoubtedly will do their best to take home one of the krewe's famous hand-decorated coconuts, among the most coveted throws of all of Carnival. The parade is scheduled to roll from South Claiborne and Jackson avenues at 8 a.m., though it often begins late. When he gets to Gallier Hall, Landrieu, who is not expected to be in costume, will dismount and wait to toast the Zulu king, his spokesman said. The mayor then will take in the Rex Organization's parade, which tails Zulu along St. Charles Avenue beginning at Jackson Avenue, before raising his glass to Rex, the king of Carnival. Rex rolls from South Claiborne and Napoleon avenues starting at 10 a.m.


Picture: President Obama holding Zulu coconut made in his honor.

EDITORIAL: Ethics enforcement is essential
News Star (excerpt)

Louisiana's Code of Ethics, no matter how strong on paper, is only as good as the enforcement of the code.

Gov. Bobby Jindal points to the strength of Louisiana law, arguing that those laws have done much to clean up the state's reputation of corruption. "Four years ago, I made a commitment to the people of Louisiana that to clean up our state's reputation of corruption and enhance our ability to create jobs, we had to make reforming Louisiana's ethics system a priority. Today, Louisiana is among the top in the nation for our ethics laws," Jindal says.

While the law itself has gotten tougher, the way the state governs the ethics law leaves much to be desired. Jindal is proposing changes to the administration of the law, tweaking legislation passed early in his first term.

U.S. and Mexico reach deal on Gulf of Mexico oil exploration
Times-Picayune (excerpt)

WASHINGTON - The United States and Mexico signed an agreement Monday that will open up portions of the Gulf of Mexico along the two countries' borders to oil and gas exploration. There's been no prohibition against developing the area, containing 1.5 million acres of the Outer Continental Shelf, but it's been "essentially under a moratorium" because of uncertainty about which country owned the resources and controls the regulatory process, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Monday. The acreage is bigger than the state of Delaware, according to U.S. officials. The Transboundary Agreement, which still must be ratified by the U.S. and Mexican senates, would establish a process that allows U.S. companies and PEMEX, the giant Mexican petroleum company, to jointly develop reserves of oil and natural gas.

Pajama ban on Caddo Commission agenda
by Kristi Johnston - Shreveport Times (excerpt)

Pajamas top the agenda of the Caddo Parish Commission's work session today. District 9 Commissioner Michael Williams plans to introduce an ordinance that would make it illegal to wear pajamas in public.

"It's similar to the City of Shreveport's that includes the sagging and baggy pants and also addresses the pajamas," Williams said. "I put a lot of work into this project and at the end of the day, it's not about me. I'm trying to restore the American values."

The ordinance defines pajamas as sleeping wear. "It's night wear that is to be worn at night in the home, sleeping and lounging with the blinds down," Williams said.

Monday, February 20th, 2012

Louisiana Legislature guides are being prepared
Times-Picayune (excerpt)

The Public Affairs Research Council and Louisiana Governmental Studies are accepting orders for their annual guides to the Louisiana Legislature. The guides detail how the Legislature works and provides the names, photos and brief biographies of all lawmakers and their committee assignments, information on statewide elected officials and members of the congressional delegation and contact information. Governmental Studies is also accepting orders for a separate 500-page book that includes profiles of lawmakers, their districts, maps of the newly drawn legislative districts and a special section on reapportionment, spokesman Ryan Haynie said. More information about the guide and app is available at www.louisianagovernmentalstudies.com.


Picture: Ryan Haynie, Louisiana Governmental Studies speaking at Louisiana Institute of Public Policy & Politics seminar.

Sen. David Vitter opposes Circuit Court nomination
Times-Picayune (excerpt)

Sen. David Vitter, R-La., was one of five senators to vote last week against the nomination of a Cuban-born jurist warmly backed by Sen. Jordan's nomination was approved 94-5. "Sen. Vitter is voting this way on the circuit court nominees to protest the president's recent, completely unconstitutional so-called recess appointments," said Vitter spokesman Luke Bolar. "Those are the latest examples of (President Barack) Obama's enormous overreaching -- his war on the Constitution."

Vitter has Democratic ally in support of flood insurance measure
Times-Picayune (excerpt)

In partisan Washington, it's not every day that a Democrat and Republican advocate for the same legislation. But that's what happened last week, when Sens. David Vitter, R-La., and Jon Tester, D-Mont., headlined a news conference urging Senate leaders to bring up legislation extending the National Flood Insurance Program, including some changes designed to reduce losses caused by homeowners who file frequent claims. Vitter said Congress can't allow a repeat of 2010, when the flood insurance program's authorization lapsed four times, causing on average the delay or cancellation of 1,400 home closings a day. A Vitter bill extended the program through the end of May. But now it's time, Vitter said, to extend the program for five years. Tester agreed: "Long term reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program will offer home and business owners the certainty they need to plan for the future," Tester said.

Scalise praises Catholic bishops for fight against contraceptive mandate
Times-Picayune (excerpt)

As the House prepared to take a week-long recess late last week, it was apparent the flap over President Barack Obama's compromise plan to require health insurance firms to provide free access to contraceptives isn't going away. There was a tumultuous hearing by a House committee, in which a Roman Catholic bishop, Orthodox rabbi and Lutheran and Baptist clergy said the president's plan, though an improvement over his original proposal, doesn't give religious employers a "conscience" clause freeing them from providing coverage for birth control devices they object to on religious grounds. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, who is leading an effort for congressional intervention, praised the Catholic bishops for leading a fight against the administration rule. "I want to applaud the Catholic bishops who have been so vocal in helping bring this issue to light, for standing up and saying, 'This is something that we will not comply with because it violates our own religious beliefs.'" Some House Democrats complained that the GOP-scheduled hearing on the issue excluded some women who believe that birth control services should be a mandated part of health insurance. "What is it that men don't understand about women's health," House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said. "And how central the issue of family planning is to that."

Anh 'Joseph' Cao is subject of documentary film
Times-Picayune (excerpt)

"Mr. Cao Goes to Washington," read the Page 1 headline on a December 2008 story in The Times-Picayune, which began, "Anh 'Joseph' Cao arrived in Washington on Wednesday to the praise of congressional Republicans and began his metamorphosis from unlikely hero to Congress' most junior -- and politically vulnerable -- member." And, now, a little bit more than three years later, Cao has further metamorphosed into a documentary film subject, the title character in "Mr. Cao Goes to Washington," directed by S. Leo Chiang. Chiang learned of Cao while filming "A Village Called Versailles," his award-winning documentary about how a tight-knit Vietnamese community in New Orleans rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina. The new film, which will premiere at West Coast screenings in March in Berkeley, Calif., San Francisco and San Jose, Calif., will also air on Public Broadcasting nationally in advance of the 2012 election. While the documentary has not yet been reviewed, Cao last week got an advance peak and proclaimed it "quite good."

Louisiana Spotlight
by MELINDA DESLATTE - Associated Press (LA)

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