Latest news with #AnnaPuleo
American Press
12-06-2025
- Business
- American Press
Lawmakers approve budget and teacher pay push as session wraps up
Lawmakers approve budget and teacher pay push as session wraps up Published 5:12 pm Thursday, June 12, 2025 By Anna Puleo | LSU Manship School News Service BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana House voted 98-1 Thursday to give final legislative approval to $53.5 billion budget package for the upcoming fiscal year without objecting to any of the major changes that the Senate had made earlier this week. With three hours to go in the session, lawmakers also agreed to ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment in a new attempt to fund permanent salary raises for K-12 public school teachers and support staff. Email newsletter signup Voters had rejected a long and complicated amendment in March that could have provided funding for permanent raises. Under the latest plan, voter approval could lead to salary increases of $2,250 for teachers and $1,225 for staff members. The proposed constitutional amendment would dissolve three state education trust funds and used $2 billion to pay down debt on teacher retirement plans. That would save parishes enough money to provide the raises. While waiting to see if voters approve the amendment, the state will pay stipends of $2,000 to teachers and $1,000 to support staff at K-12 schools for a third year in a row. The state budget and the new teacher pay plan both passed on the final day of a legislative session that also saw significant changes in car insurance regulation designed to lower some of the highest annual premiums in the nation. Other high-profile legislation stalled during the session. A bill to reinforce President Donald Trump's ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs at public agencies and colleges failed after the Senate declined to take it up, even as similar bans gained traction in other Republican- led states. The bill had narrowly passed the House after a lengthy debate during which Black lawmakers called it 'racially oppressive.' Gov. Jeff Landry's push to more than double funding for his LA GATOR private school voucher program also failed. The House had approved the $93.5 million that Landry sought to sharply increase the number of families that could use public funds to send their children to private schools. During the session, the Senate limited funding on the vouchers to $43.5 million, and the House acquiesced. That funding will allow students already enrolled in private schools under the similar program to stay there, but there will not be any money for new families to join, as Landry had envisioned. Lawmakers approved another national conservative priority — the 'Make America Healthy Again' efforts led by Trump and health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The bill bans ultra-processed ingredients, such as artificial dyes and synthetic additives, in meals served in schools that receive state funding, starting in the 2027-28 school year. All bills that passed now go to Landry for his approval or veto. The budget bill would take effect on July 1. The governor has the power to veto individual items in it. As part of the budget, lawmakers agreed to spend $1.2 billion in one-time money from the state's Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund–which collects corporate and severance taxes — on transportation projects, economic development, water system upgrades, college maintenance and criminal justice infrastructure. They also approved using $1.1 billion in extra cash for short-term needs like infrastructure projects, debt payments and deposits into state savings accounts. That total includes last year's surplus, additional general fund dollars recognized by the state's revenue forecasting panel, and unspent agency money, either because fewer people used certain programs or agencies found other ways to cover costs. The stipends for the K-12 teachers and support workers will cost $199 million. The Senate also restored $30 million for high-dose tutoring programs that had been cut in the House's version. Legislative leaders were reluctant to expand spending in other areas, like for Landry's signature voucher plan to pay for more students to go to private schools. Some lawmakers are concerned that potential cuts in federal Medicaid spending and federal disaster-relief could force the state to absorb hundreds of millions in additional costs. The House approved a resolution on Thursday by Appropriations Chair Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, urging Congress not to cut Medicaid funding in a way that would hurt the state. Legislators from rural areas also expressed concern that expanding private school vouchers could eventually cut into support for public school district. Some lawmakers noted that the final level of spending on the LA GATOR program was not a cut but rather keeping funding flat. 'We always use the word cut,' Rep. Eric Tarver, R- Lake Charles, said. 'When really we mean it just isn't an increase.' The Legislature also passed a supplemental spending bill for the current fiscal year with about $130 million, mostly in lawmakers' earmarks for projects in their districts. Taking steps to try to bring down auto insurance rates was another major focus during the session. Landry signed a package aimed at lowering premiums by limiting certain lawsuits and increasing oversight of insurers. However, on Wednesday, he vetoed Senate Bill 111, which would have restricted when policyholders can sue insurers for bad faith. Landry said the bill risked making it easier for companies to deny claims, leaving policyholders with fewer options to challenge delays, especially after major disasters. Landry had said at the start of the session that he was seeking a balanced approach in trying to cut rates. He also persuaded lawmakers to give the insurance commissioner more power to block companies from charging auto insurance rates that appeared excessive. Featured Local Savings
American Press
29-05-2025
- Health
- American Press
Louisiana bill redefines IVF embryos
The Louisiana state Capitol in Baton Rouge. (Associated Press Archives) By Anna Puleo | LSU Manship School News Service The Louisiana House passed a bill Tuesday that changes how the state treats embryos created through in vitro fertilization. The bill, which passed 82-14, establishes legal protections and reshapes how IVF is regulated. The bill originated in the Senate, and an amended version was carried in the House by Rep. Paula Davis, R-Baton Rouge. It redefines IVF embryos as 'juridical persons,' a legal category that gives them more rights without going so far as to classify them as full legal 'children' or property. 'This is a pro-family, pro-life and pro-parent bill,' Davis said. 'No parent should have to cross state lines to start a family.' The laws governing IVF have been politically sensitive since an Alabama Supreme Court ruling in early 2024 raised questions about them, and lawmakers in several states have been scrambling to codify their support for the practice. Under the new Louisiana measure, Senate Bill 156, embryos are considered viable unless they fail to develop within 72 hours after fertilization. Those that do not develop in that timeframe are classified as nonviable. This definition was added through an amendment and replaces the state's previous standard of 36 hours. For embryos considered viable, the bill states that only the intended parents, not doctors or fertility clinics, can make decisions about their use. It also bans any IVF contract that includes a clause allowing embryos to be intentionally destroyed. Those agreements would now be considered legally invalid. Rep. Aimee Freeman Newell, D-New Orleans, raised concerns about how current IVF laws apply to single women, whether it is those who choose to become single parents or lose a spouse during the process. Would they still have access to treatment? Davis said SB156 is updating Louisiana's IVF laws to reflect modern realities. It removes terms like 'parental rights,' 'married couple,' and 'adoptive implantation,' and makes it clear that embryos can be donated to any individual, not just to married couples. A similar bill was brought to the floor last year but was returned to the calendar after criminal and constitutional law experts raised concerns that its language conflicted with Louisiana's criminal statutes. Lawmakers worked with Louisiana Right to Life and legal advisors to revise the language in this year's version. Davis pointed to the controversial 2024 Alabama Supreme Court decision as an example of the kind of legal uncertainty Louisiana wants to avoid. In that case, the court ruled that frozen embryos created through IVF are considered 'children' under Alabama's wrongful death law, granting them legal personhood and allowing wrongful death lawsuits to proceed. The ruling came after several frozen embryos were accidentally destroyed at a fertility clinic, sparking a lawsuit against the hospital and clinic. A trial court initially dismissed the case, saying embryos outside the womb are not children, but the Alabama Supreme Court reversed that decision. That court decision sparked national backlash. President Donald Trump, who was campaigning at the time, came out in support of IVF access soon after, urging Alabama lawmakers to 'act quickly to find an immediate solution' to keep the procedure legal. His comments reflected a broader shift, as many Republicans tried to distance themselves from the Alabama court's decision and its potential fallout. Louisiana's SB156, authored by Sen. Thomas Pressley, R-Shreveport, aims to provide clearer guidance while protecting embryos under state law, without creating conflicts with criminal statutes or overextending legal personhood. The bill now goes back to the Senate for its consideration of House amendments.
