BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana's lobbyists can spend a bit more on wining and dining state lawmakers and other public officials. When the new budget year began Wednesday, the lobbying limit on food and drink for a public official edged…
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Gov. John Bel Edwards and Louisiana's lawmakers spent most of the last four-year term digging out of nearly a decade of financial instability that forced deep cuts across state services, particularly higher education. Now, they appear…
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana will start accepting applications July 28 from small businesses seeking up to $15,000 grants to help with coronavirus expenses, Treasurer John Schroder announced Wednesday. The Republican state treasurer said he will use three contractors to…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana legislators passed a $35 billion state budget with two hours to spare on Tuesday, a stark contrast from the frenetic final moments of other recent sessions. It was an unusual ending for an unusual session that…
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana lawmakers on Tuesday completed a 30-day special session called in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, after awarding millions of dollars in tax breaks to businesses and finishing the state's multibillion-dollar budget a day before it…
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — In their special session that ended Tuesday, Louisiana lawmakers agreed to expand and extend business tax credits, exemptions and incentive programs, bills that were pitched as a coronavirus recovery tactic and are estimated to siphon…
BATON ROUGE – Workers who were on the “front lines” of the COVID-19 pandemic will receive $250 in one-time “hazard pay” under legislation the Louisiana House of Representatives approved Monday. House Bill 70 passed both the House and state Senate…
BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Senate approved two new tax benefits Sunday for businesses despite concerns the measures would chip away at state funding without offering much of a return for the taxpayers. Like many other tax breaks and incentives…
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Thousands of Louisiana's front-line employees who worked at grocery stores, drove buses and manned health care facilities in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak appear on track to receive a $250 one-time check from the…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is preparing to direct the federal government to overhaul its hiring to prioritize a job applicant’s skills over a college degree, administration and industry officials say. Trump is set to sign an executive order…
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana senators Wednesday unveiled their $33 billion-plus operating budget recommendation, which would prohibit millions in pay raises planned for state workers and account for millions in tax breaks they intend to give businesses. The Senate Finance…
BATON ROUGE (AP) — 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 programs…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana House Republicans are attempting an end run around a potential veto to temporarily change how the state handles automobile accident claims. Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoed a bill passed during this year’s regular session that…
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana K-12 schools and colleges would receive sweeping protections against civil lawsuits from students and teachers who contract an infectious disease, including COVID-19, under a bill that won overwhelming support Tuesday from the state House. The measure…
NEW YORK (AP) — Now it's apparent where many of President Donald Trump's supporters who stayed away from Saturday's campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, were instead: they were home watching it on television. Fox News Channel, which aired Trump's speech…
BATON ROUGE (AP) — 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. The emergency plan — crafted by…
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana state senators are shrinking the scope — and the price tags — of tax break bills as they prepare to shape their version of next year's budget and account for the business tax cuts that…
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Some small businesses harmed by the coronavirus pandemic should start seeing grants from a $300 million federally financed program as soon as next month, Louisiana's state treasurer said Monday. The money is part of $1.8 billion in…
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana would create a study group to make recommendations about how to improve police training and tactics, address misconduct and recognize racial bias by officers, under legislation that moved closer to final passage Thursday. The proposal…
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Gov. John Bel Edwards on Wednesday urged more Louisiana residents to respond to the 2020 U.S. Census, saying the state's participation rate is among the lowest in the nation. About 56% of Louisiana households have responded…
NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced that New Orleans is requesting $3.5 million of the $6 million Louisiana received as a first installment from the National Dislocated Worker Grant program. “We need to ensure that our workforce gets its…
BATON ROUGE – Gov. John Bel Edwards has signed into law a proposal to expand access to the state’s medical marijuana program. Present law limits access to patients with one or more of a list of conditions. Act 286 adds…
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana businesses are receiving state protection from most lawsuits involving COVID-19 deaths or injuries, after Gov. John Bel Edwards signed into law a package of measures that provides the sweeping liability limitations. Three Republican-sponsored bills offering the…
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana municipalities will be barred from enacting most gun restrictions beyond those in state law, under legislation signed by Gov. John Bel Edwards. The measure by House Republican leader Blake Miguez won passage from lawmakers…
NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued a statement today to address the tension between New Orleans hospitality workers and leaders as the city works to re-start its tourism economy while keeping workers safe from potential COVID-19 infection. Cantrell is…
NEW ORLEANS - The Urban League of Louisiana is reminding prospective voters that this Saturday, June 20, is the last day to register to vote for the upcoming presidential primary. Here's an election Q&A: Q: I was prepared to vote…
BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana House of Representatives on Monday approved two bills that would make sweeping changes to how the state’s court system handles automobile accident claims. The measures are much like Senate Bill 418, which legislators approved during the regular…
BATON ROUGE – Gov. John Bel Edwards has signed into law a proposal to use $300 million in federal pandemic relief dollars to help small businesses harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic and response. Edwards previously had expressed concerns about the…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana lawmakers advanced more tax breaks and incentives Monday while raising concerns about whether the costs outweighed the benefits. “Nobody takes lightly having to cut things out of the budget, or takes lightly having to raise taxes,”…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana state senators on Sunday voted unanimously to create a task force to study and make policy recommendations to improve the training, screening and de-escalation skills of law enforcement officers. A House of Representatives committee approved a…
