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3 days ago
- Business
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Defying Landry, Louisiana lawmakers reject giving him more control over licensing boards
Rep. Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge, left, greets Gov. Jeff Landry as Landry leaves the House Chamber with his son, JT Landry, right, after speaking on opening day of legislative session, Monday, April 14, 2025, at the State Capitol in Baton Rouge. (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate-Pool) In defiance of Gov. Jeff Landry, a Louisiana Senate committee rejected a proposal to give him more authority over appointees to 32 government boards and commissions, nearly half of which help regulate health care providers. The Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee voted 4-3 against House Bill 603 Wednesday that would have allowed the governor to appoint members to state licensing boards without input from others. Currently, the governor has to pick these board members from lists of nominees provided by trade associations and industry leaders in the applicable field. Landry was seeking more authority over boards ranging from those that regulate certified public accountants, plumbers and engineers to ones overseeing nurses, dentists and physical therapists. The number of appointees Landry would have selected varied from group to group. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The legislation's author, Rep. Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge, said the current appointment system is problematic because it lets professional trade groups pick their own regulators. 'The thought was to protect the consumer,' McMakin said at a public hearing this week. Sen. Greg Miller, R-Norco, backed McMakin's bill and shared his concerns about the current structure of the boards. 'The people who are supposed to be regulated are actually the ones doing the regulating,' Miller said. The bill closely resembles law changes Landry got approved last year that have already consolidated the governor's power over state appointees. State lawmakers gave Landry the ability to appoint the chairs of 150 state boards and commissions directly instead of relying on the boards to pick their own leaders. These boards include the 32 Landry hoped to gain more control over through McMakin's bill. Legislators also made changes in 2024 to the board of the Louisiana Coastal Restoration and Protection Authority to give the governor more say-so on members of that panel. The legislature also permitted the governor more power over appointees to the Louisiana Board of Ethics. Landry now gets to pick his appointees directly instead of having to choose from lists of nominees from Louisiana's private college and university leaders. On Wednesday, Senate committee members indicated the governor's previous power grabs made them wary of handing Landry more authority. 'Don't you think that the way the bill is .. strips away the voice of the particular industry to offer up potential nominees?' asked Sen. Blake Miguez, R-New Iberia, who voted against McMakin's legislation. 'It makes it, in a sense, purely political.' 'This kind of gives even more power to an already powerful executive branch,' Sen. Gary Carter, D-New Orleans, said. 'I have grave concerns about it.' McMakin said safeguards already in place make sure the governor selects qualified board members. The governor's appointees have to meet certain standards to serve, such as holding an occupational license in the field they would have to regulate. The governor's appointees also do not make up the majority of any of the licensing boards in his bill, McMakin said. Sen. Larry Selders, D-Baton Rouge, remained unconvinced that the governor should be given more authority. 'Where is the protection? Last year, we gave the governor the authority to appoint the chairmen. Now, we are giving the governor the authority to put two or three people – or various numbers – on different committees. And so when is it going to change again next year?' Selders said, before voting against the legislation. Despite the legislation failing, McMakin said the governor's office could find a way to revive it before the legislature ends its session June 12. 'The bill is not dead,' he said in an interview. Legislators have shown less tolerance for growing the governor's authority, however. A constitutional amendment aimed at giving the governor two at-large appointees to the five-member Public Service Commission failed to get off the ground earlier this spring. Landry's push to give him more sway over appointees to a New Orleans-area flood protection agency board has also died this session. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Business
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Gov. Landry might get the insurance laws he wants, but not without ruffling some Republican feathers
Rep. Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge, left, greets Gov. Jeff Landry as Landry leaves the House Chamber with his son, JT Landry, right, after speaking on opening day of legislative session, Monday, April 14, 2025, at the State Capitol in Baton Rouge. (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate-Pool) A surprise amendment to what was a simple bill caused an appreciable rift among Republicans in the Louisiana Legislature this past week, but it might have helped advance Gov. Jeff Landry's signature legislation to address the state's insurance crisis. House Bill 148, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Wiley, R-Maurepas, began as a measure to require insurance companies to tell customers what their previous billing amount was whenever sending out a coverage renewal notice. Wiley said it would simply let customers quickly see whether their insurance rates have gone up or down. However, the legislation underwent significant changes Wednesday on the House floor. Wiley accepted an amendment from Rep. Brian Glorioso, R-Slidell, that effectively combined his bill with some of the major provisions from a separate proposal from Democrats Robby Carter of Amite and Chad Brown of Plaquemine. Their measure, which has the governor's backing, would give the state insurance commissioner the power to strike down any insurance rate increase considered 'excessive' or unreasonably high. Currently, the commissioner can only exercise that power after holding a public hearing in which someone proves the state insurance market lacks competition. The amalgamated bill was advanced to the Senate on a 68-34, SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The Carter-Brown bill had opposition from several Republican lawmakers and Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple, who some speculate could become the governor's scapegoat if the latest efforts to reduce coverage prices fail. The proposal would have also backed the commissioner into a corner, forcing him to choose between rates based on real market conditions and rates that are lowered as a form of political favors, Temple has said in previous interviews. Some Republican lawmakers made similar arguments Wednesday and challenged whether Glorioso's amendment was germane to Wiley's original legislation. Legislative rules forbid members from hijacking a colleague's bill with changes that differ dramatically from the purpose of the original proposal. One opponent, Rep. Raymond Crews, R-Bossier City, asked House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, to decide whether the Glorioso amendment departed radically from the Wiley bill. After consulting with the chamber's parliamentarian, DeVillier said both proposals are related to the cost of insurance premiums. Rep. John Wyble, R-Franklinton, criticized the amendment for its lack of specificity in how the commissioner is supposed to determine whether a rate is unreasonable. 'So what's an unreasonable profit — a 6% profit, a 4.5% profit, a 20% profit, a 100% profit?' Wyble asked. Republicans Jay Gallé of Mandeville, Josh Carlson of Lafayette, Paula Davis of Baton Rouge and Chance Henry of Crowley also argued against the proposal, voting against the Glorioso amendment and the updated bill. Rep. Gabe Firment, R-Pollock, who chairs the House Insurance Committee, also voted against both measures. He said he believes Glorioso's amendment helped ensure the passage of the key provisions the governor wanted. Landry turned heads last month when he sat shoulder to shoulder with Brown at a committee hearing in support of the Democrat's bill. The governor even drew praise from some of the state's most liberal politicians after he railed against large corporations and called for stricter regulations on the insurance industry. The Carter-Brown bill 'was problematic for some Republican representatives,' Firment said in a phone interview Friday. Moving the major provisions from that bill into a Republican-backed proposal was a way to try to ease the 'heartburn' some conservatives were having, Firment said. The insurance commissioner is still lobbying against the revised bill. 'I can't speak to anyone's motivation, but the only additional power this legislation gives me is the authority to deny rates for political, personal and other subjective reasons,' Temple said. 'I've made that clear to the legislature and will continue working to help them understand what the bill does and why it is harmful to our insurance market.' Wiley said he supported the amendment because of the special circumstances of the state's insurance crisis. 'I can just tell you that tough times call for tough decisions,' Wiley said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Louisiana senators face wrongful death lawsuit against nursing home they co-own
Louisiana Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, is a partial owner of a nursing home that is being sued for wrongful death. He owns the nursing home with Sen. Bob Hensgens, R-Abbeville, among others. (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate-Pool) One of Louisiana's most powerful legislators and his colleague are co-owners of a nursing home that faces a wrongful death lawsuit from the family of a former resident. The case against their facility is playing out as both lawmakers and the rest of the Louisiana Legislature consider controversial legislation to undercut similar legal challenges. Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, and Sen. Bob Hensgens, R-Abbeville, are part of a 10-person ownership group for the Acadia St. Landry Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Church Point. Hensgens is also the administrator of the nursing home. Two other members of his family are also part of the ownership group, according to state business records. The children of Cynthia Stewart filed a lawsuit and medical malpractice claim against Hensgens and Henry's nursing home in April 2024, less than two months after Stewart died at age 74. She had spent almost 15 months as a resident at Acadia St. Landry when she developed a severe bed sore at the base of her spine in November 2023, according to the lawsuit her family filed in Louisiana's 8th Judicial District Court in Winn Parish. The amount of damages the Stewart family is seeking is not listed in court documents. Senate Bill 134 by Sen. Thomas Pressly, R-Shreveport, seeks to reduce the liability from wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits for dozens of Louisiana nursing homes – from potentially millions of dollars per institution to just $100,000. Henry and Hensgens say the legislation wouldn't affect Acadia St. Landry because it has a different organizational structure than the facilities the bill is meant to shield. 'We don't have a management company, and that bill is exclusive for management companies,' Hensgens said Tuesday in an interview. 'There is no management company associated with Acadia St. Landry,' Henry said Tuesday in response to a question about the legislation. 'The bill deals with management companies.' While Hensgens and Henry say the legislation won't protect their business, nursing home lobbyists suggested in public testimony last week that the attorneys who filed the lawsuit against Acadia St. Landry are targets of the bill. Garcia & Artigliere, which describes itself as a 'nursing home neglect and abuse' law firm with offices in California, Arizona, Kentucky and Louisiana. It has 66 lawsuits pending against facilities in Louisiana, including Acadia St. Landry. The Louisiana Nursing Home Association claims the litigation threatens to put their industry out of business. 'We're going to have those health care facilities turning in their keys because they can't do business in this state anymore' if these lawsuits continue, Wes Hattaway, policy director for the nursing home association, said at a legislative hearing last week. Also pushing the bill to protect nursing homes is Teddy Ray Price, part of the Acadia St. Landry ownership group with Henry and Hensgens. Price, who is also president of the Louisiana Nursing Home Association, and his family own two dozen nursing homes in Louisiana and a nursing home management company. Garcia & Artigliere has sued five of his facilities and Central Management Co., the nursing home management business he owns. Price could not be reached at his office or on his personal cellphone this week. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE 'You got to turn your mother' According to the lawsuit, Stewart's wound was only discovered when she was transferred from Acadia St. Landry to Maison de Lafayette Nursing Home. But by that time, it had grown so severe that her bone was exposed and she had contracted sepsis. She then had to be immediately moved to a hospital for treatment, according to the lawsuit. The family alleges the wound developed because Acadia St. Landry failed to provide proper medical supervision to Stewart while she was a resident. Her survivors claim Central Management Co. intentionally understaffed the nursing home to turn a higher profit. Acadia St. Landry ranks poorly, with only one out of five stars, on the widely accepted rating scale the federal Medicare program uses. A one-star rating describes a 'much below average' facility, according to the Medicare website. The ratings are calculated based on the results of health inspections, staffing and other quality control measures government inspectors conduct. Registered nurses at Acadia St. Landry spent an average of nine minutes with each patient per day, compared with the national average of 40 minutes and a Louisiana average of 18 minutes, according to the federal data. The facility's patient time with licensed professional nurses and licensed vocational nurses – who require less training and are paid far less than registered nurses – was higher than the national and state averages. Geoffrey Stewart, Cynthia Stewart's son, expanded on accusations in the lawsuit at a legislative committee hearing last week, though he didn't identify the nursing home by name. He also didn't mention that lawmakers own the facility. 'The question that I have for you is: How difficult is it to turn a patient every two hours? Apparently, it's really hard,' Stewart told legislators. 'So hard that whenever I visited, I had to go search for employees to come and turn my mother. I had to bring cash with me every time I went to give money to [staff members to] come and turn my mother.' 'I was there. I went to that place. I visited her, knowing the fear that she was in. I went,' Stewart said. 'But the message here tonight is, you can't just go. You got to pull back sheets. You got to turn your mother.' Henry declined to respond to the specifics of the Stewart case because of the pending litigation but said Acadia St. Landry meets state and federal staffing requirements. Lawsuit and legislation limits Henry and Hensgens also insist that even though Price's Central Management Co. is named in the Stewart lawsuit, it is not working with or for Acadia St. Landry. The distinction over whether Central Management Co. or another management company has a hand in operations in Acadia St. Landry could be essential to the outcome of the lawsuit they face. Nursing homes are, in general, protected from large jury awards by Louisiana's medical malpractice act, which caps damages against health care providers for unintentional injury at $500,000. Of that $500,000, a nursing home found to be negligent pays no more than $100,000. The rest of the money comes from a state pool fund that several types of health care providers contribute to for covering such claims. Over the past year, Garcia & Artigliere has circumvented that cap by arguing that nursing home management companies like Central Management aren't health care providers and shouldn't be subjected to the medical malpractice law. Instead, they should be considered administrators that can be held responsible for larger jury awards. Garcia & Artigliere have been successful in two such cases against Louisiana nursing homes so far. Its clients have received a $3.5 million verdict against Chateau St. James Rehab and Retirement in Lutcher and $2.1 million from Heritage Manor West in Shreveport. The purpose of Senate Bill 134 is to shut down this legal route to larger awards. Hattaway, with Louisiana Nursing Home Association, and others argue the state's medical malpractice act was always meant to cover these types of negligence cases. The legislation would bring management companies for health care providers, including nursing homes and hospitals, under that legal cap. But if Acadia St. Landry is not using a management company, Hensgens said the medical malpractice law applies to their lawsuit whether the Pressly bill passes or not. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Big politics Louisiana nursing home owners, some of the largest donor to candidates for the legislature and governor every election cycle, is the main supporter of the legislation. Price, as president of that powerful organization, attended last week's hearing on Pressly's bill in person but didn't speak publicly. One of the few people who did testify in favor of the proposal was Troy Broussard, an attorney representing Hensgens, Henry, Price and other owners of Acadia St. Landry. Matt Coman, a New Orleans-based attorney with Garcia & Artigliere who represents the Stewart family, provided testimony in opposition to the legislation. AARP Louisiana, the state's largest advocacy organization for seniors, also opposes the bill, saying it would put more elderly people at risk for abuse. 'We've always maintained that our legislators should put their constituents ahead of any financial interests related to the outcome of the bill,' Andrew Muhl, AARP's state director of advocacy, said in a statement this week. 'If the supporters of this bill are successful, it means there will be a complete lack of due process for abuse and neglect due to perpetually poor and unsafe levels of basic care for our most vulnerable seniors,' Muhl said. The committee sided overwhelmingly with the nursing home industry. Hensgens, as a committee member, voted with the 6-1 majority to move the legislation to the Senate floor. Neither Hensgens nor Henry had been part of a nursing home ownership group until 2022, when they bought Acadia St. Landry with Price and others. At the time, Henry was not in legislative leadership. Hensgens, who has worked in the nursing home industry for three decades, said he and his brother were responsible for putting together the buyers' group. 'My younger brother ran it for about 15 years for previous owners, and the gentleman got to be 85 years old. No one in the family wanted it, so he came to us and said, 'Would you like to buy it?'' Hensgens said. 'And we put together the investment group so we could afford it.' Nursing homes in Louisiana aren't sold frequently, and there is state prohibition on any new homes opening. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
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Q&A with Senate President Cameron Henry on the Louisiana Legislature's session
Louisiana Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, talks about his priorities during the 2025 Louisiana legislative session. (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate-Pool) This is an interview with Louisiana Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, that took place earlier this month about his priorities for the state legislative session that started Monday. It has been edited for length and clarity. You can also listen to a version of this interview on our new podcast The Light Switch. O'DONOGHUE: I want to talk about what you think are the big issues during the session. HENRY: One of the big topics, I think, is going to be the transformation of the [Department of Transportation and Development]. I think there's some great people that work over there. I think the system that is set up and has been in place for so long really doesn't afford them the opportunity to be as successful as they want. The governor has looked at different states, specifically Tennessee, as a model to kind of begin that transition. I think we're going to make some good progress on it this year. It's just a multi-year process, but it's something that has to get done, because there's nothing more frustrating for citizens. O'DONOGHUE: When you talk about restructuring DOTD, are you talking about fewer state workers working there? Are we outsourcing more things? HENRY: They want to make sure that the folks that are working over there now have a purpose, have responsibilities, and are doing a good job. The number of employees is really going to be based on the amount of actual work being done. … I believe we have something around maybe 5,000 employees and 500 engineers. If, after we put all this together, if that's how many employees we need, then that's how many employees we will have. If we can trim that down and put more money into actual concrete, I think that's a better purpose for it. O'DONOGHUE: On March 29, there were constitutional amendments on the ballot that didn't pass. Amendment 2 probably has an impact on budget and tax issues. Can you talk about what you think might come back that was Amendment 2? That you all might relook again at again during the session? HENRY: Well I mean, obviously, Amendment 2 would have been pretty significant for our budget, specifically on the recurring dollars part. It didn't pass. We have to move on. I'm sure members are going to look at possibly dissecting that larger amendment into smaller amendments. But you know, you really have to step back and make sure that the next time that's on the ballot, even in a scaled down version, we have the ability to really sell it better, with greater explanation, and not have as many things on the ballot. We are going to come back in the future with a similar amendment, but maybe breaking that down into different sections, maybe picking one or two really hot topics within that. It's something that we have to do in the long run. We have too much recurring dollars going into these funds that we can never get into. … You're putting money into your savings account at a low interest rate, and you're borrowing money at a higher interest rate. It just doesn't make sense. O'DONOGHUE: Do you think you all are going to look at trying to find a way to get some of that money back into the budget for teachers [pay stipends]? HENRY: It's whether or not we want to kind of piecemeal it, or do we want to step back and say there's got to be a better way in the future to give teachers a pay raise instead of a stipend? So maybe we don't give that this year, or that [total stipend] amount this year, and we look forward to further clarifying what we wanted to do in the amendment and bringing that back in the future. O'DONOGHUE: Do you expect there will be a big conversation around civil service? Obviously we're seeing a big conversation at the federal level around public sector workers. HENRY: I want flexibility to give certain people raises who are excelling but also allow them, some of them, to work from home, remote work, more flexibility, and the system in place now with civil service does not give, I guess, supervisors or the governor the flexibility to put people where they need to be. Some of them have a skill set that they work better in the office. Some of them have a skill set to work better from home. Their jobs allow them to do that. So I would like to let every employee excel at their own rate and not be tied to one system that really doesn't afford for that. O'DONOGHUE: What do you expect to see on insurance? HENRY: [E]veryone wants to lower homeowners insurance and car insurance, and we've passed a significant amount of bills dealing with homeowners insurance … and we're still waiting for our homeowners insurance to go down. We're going to continue to work on trying to lower auto insurance. It's a very sensitive subject to a lot of people. … When we're passing a law, it's not only affecting the bad actors. It affects everyone. [W]e're trying to balance that while making sure we make the state friendly to get insurance companies here because, obviously, more insurance companies will ideally lower rates. We don't know when, but you can't cede all of your authority and all of your rights to the insurance company on the off chance that they lower your rates. O'DONOGHUE: [T]here's a lot going on in D.C. right now, sort of a lot of uncertainty about what's being cut and what's not and some of that will affect Louisiana. How are you all trying to prepare for that? HENRY: At the end of the day, the greatest impact is on the [Louisiana Department of Health], which is about 50% of our budget. … I'm having conversations with Congressman Scalise and Senator Cassidy to work through these issues of what adjustments you are going to make and can we see them? Can we have a discussion before you implement them? And can you give us maybe five years to implement them? Because when you make a change that reduces a program, the problem still exists. … If the program was a fraud and a fake, of course, you get rid of it. … But again, not all of them are like that. The legislature and the government have to find a way to fund whatever is cut to make sure we're taking care of the services for the people of Louisiana. So it's going to be difficult, but I mean, it's part of the job. It's why we ran for office. So I'm confident that our delegation, and we have a great delegation across party lines up there, we'll make sure that Louisiana doesn't come up short.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Two little boys crying wolf': Landry calls for shared blame on Louisiana's insurance crisis
Gov. Jeff Landry addresses the Louisiana Legislature on opening day of legislative session, Monday, April 14, 2025, at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge. (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate-Pool) The only difference between trial lawyers and insurance companies, Gov. Jeff Landry told state lawmakers Monday in his speech to open the 2025 legislative session, is that one wants to skin you from the ankle up and the other wants to skin you from the ear down. Landry's stance that both sides are to blame puts him at odds with the historical approach his fellow Republicans have taken, which has largely put trial lawyers and their roadside billboards in their crosshairs. With his flashy statements, the governor teed up the fight over insurance legislation, which is certain to take center stage in the 59-day session. 'The only thing worse than a little boy crying wolf is two little boys crying wolf,' Landry said, referring to trial attorneys and the insurance industry. While no Republican lawmakers joined Landry's staff in standing to cheer for his remarks about insurance, legislative leaders are not necessarily against his plan to hold both parties responsible. 'It needs to be everybody,' House Speaker Pro Tempore Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Pineville, said in an interview after the governor's remarks. 'I agree with that 100% because none of us are perfect, and certainly those two groups have room to be better.' Legislative Democrats seemed inclined to work with the governor. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. Matt Willard, D-New Orleans, praised Landry for calling for legislation that would prohibit credit checks for setting insurance premiums. 'This is a time to do right by the rate payers, by the people of Louisiana,' Willard said in a press conference after the speech. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Lawmakers will start debating insurance bills Tuesday, with the aim of getting the legislation approved as soon as possible. Lawmakers hope Landry will embrace the bills they send him. If not, their early passage could give them the opportunity to override his vetoes. Last year, Landry vetoed a highly anticipated, so-called 'tort reform' bill that would have further capped damages an auto accident victim can seek from the insurance company of the driver at fault. Trial lawyers, who donated considerable amounts of money to Landry's gubernatorial campaign, opposed the bill. Exiting his honeymoon period after 15 months in office – and on the heels of voters rejecting four of his priority constitutional amendments – Landry is now taking a tougher tone with the trial lawyers community that has largely supported him. 'I am just as tired of seeing Morris Bart as I am of seeing the lizard,' Landry said at a news conference last week, referring to billboards and commercials from the New Orleans personal injury lawyer and the national insurance company Geico. Bart later hit back on social media. 'Maybe I should learn how to hunt?!!' Bart wrote, referencing a turkey hunting trip to Texas that Landry took the week before with Gordon McKernan, one of Bart's competitors, and several members of legislative leadership. Those gathered discussed insurance legislation, The Advocate reported. At the same time, Landry's relationship with Commissioner of Insurance Tim Temple has declined, with the pair openly feuding. In an interview Monday, Temple was hesitant to criticize Landry but said he was looking forward to working on the insurance issue with Landry. While insurance prices will be the primary theme of the session, Landry also previewed his other legislative priorities for the year, including reorganizing the state Department of Transportation and Development, funding vouchers for private school and a list of 'Make America Healthy Again' or MAHA bills. Landry's proposal to provide more funding for private school vouchers through his LA GATOR program, one of his major legislative victories last year, faces an uphill battle. Lawmakers are also seeking money to keep teacher pay at last year's level, which will require finding approximately $200 million. LA GATOR is supposed to cost the state $50 million this year, and some lawmakers are hesitant to fund private school tuition while cutting public school teachers' pay. 'Make America Healthy Again' is the slogan of President Donald Trump's Secretary of Health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime Landry ally. The governor and Kennedy are largely ideologically aligned, including on vaccine skepticism. Landry is backing Sen. Patrick McMath's Senate Bill 14, which would ban 'ultra-processed' foods in schools. Similar proposals are being considered or passed by other states. Several other bills are being touted as MAHA bills, but Landry has not yet taken a stance on them. They include proposals to remove fluoride from public water systems, to prohibit injecting chemicals into the sky to control the weather and creating the crime of 'intentional exposure to a self-spreading pathogen.' While Willard commended Landry for wanting to make the population healthier, he emphasized the importance of making decisions based on science. 'So encouraging exercise and healthy eating patterns, that's great,' Willard said. 'Removing fluoride from the water source and some of the other proposals out there, you know, major concerns.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
