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• More people talking about 'outdated' car seat law Play Video

  May 20, 2013 10:17 PM

  GONZALES- More experts suggest a state law needs to be changed, so drivers have a clearer understanding of the proper way young children should be restrained in car seats. A WBRZ News 2 Investigation found the law is outdated. Doctors recommend babies remain rear facing until they are two-years-old.... more »

• Senate budget committee stalls Medicaid program

  May 20, 2013 2:11 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A proposal for Louisiana to tap into federal health overhaul money available for expanding Medicaid has been stalled by senators. The Senate Finance Committee rejected the bill Monday, with all but one Republican voting against expansion. The measure would seek federal approval to use the expansion money to... more »

• Senate panel approves bill to create national ID

  May 15, 2013 6:39 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The Senate Transportation Committee has backed a proposal to use Louisiana driver's licenses to comply with federal law requiring each state to create a national identification card for air travel, including domestic flights. Senators added that language into a bill by Rep. Johnny Guinn, seeking to reverse... more »

• Lawmakers to look at conflicting law after News 2 report Play Video

  May 14, 2013 9:22 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana lawmakers plan to take a look at resolving the frontwards/backwards child seat requirements. State law tells parents to face kids a year and older forward in their car seats. But a American Academy of Pediatrics 2011 study showed children under two are 75 percent... more »

• Breakaway school district bill before committee

  May 14, 2013 10:45 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Supporters of a breakaway school district in southeast Baton Rouge gathered at the Capitol today for a committee hearing over the bills to create it. The House Education Committee scheduled a hearing for the two bills this morning. Both were approved in the Senate last week.... more »

• Senate committee takes up immigration bill

  May 9, 2013 7:42 AM

  WASHINGTON - A bill to remake the nation's immigration system for the first time in decades faces its first congressional test Thursday. The Senate Judiciary Committee is taking up the 844-page legislation to secure the border, provide new avenues for workers to come to the U.S. legally, crack down... more »

• House committee approves fee increase bill for LSU

  May 8, 2013 2:10 PM

  BATON ROUGE- LSU students could see a $60 a year fee increase this fall, thanks to an approval from the House Education Committee. That fee could top out at $300 a year by the fall of 2017. Baton Rouge Rep. Franklin Foil, sponsor of the fee bill, said the money... more »

• House committee rejects gay discrimination ban

  May 1, 2013 2:32 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A ban on discrimination against state employees because of their sexual orientation has been rejected in a House committee. The 6-3 vote shelves the proposal by New Orleans Rep. Austin Badon. Badon says people should be judged on their employment qualifications, rather than on whether they are gay.... more »

• Senate committee backs Medicaid expansion model

  April 30, 2013 6:53 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A proposal for Louisiana to tap into the federal health overhaul money available for expanding Medicaid has won approval from the state Senate's health committee, despite opposition from Gov. Bobby Jindal. The committee voted 4-3 Tuesday to send a modified Medicaid expansion bill to the full Senate... more »

• Bill allowing colleges to set their own tuition passes in committee

  April 30, 2013 2:33 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Two bills that would take lawmakers out of setting college tuition rates has advanced in the Louisiana House. The House Education Committee approved a bill that would allow boards for the state's four public college systems to increase tuition and fee amounts under a policy that would be... more »

• House committee strips $500M from budget

  April 29, 2013 1:30 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The House budget-writing committee stripped nearly $500 million in patchwork financing proposed by Gov. Bobby Jindal from next year's $24 billion budget. The move would mean steep cuts on health care and colleges. But the proposed cuts approved Monday by the Appropriations Committee aren't necessarily expected to... more »

• Committee backs phase-in of property tax payments

  April 29, 2013 12:55 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A House committee agreed that property owners whose tax assessments increase by 15 percent or more in one year should be able to spread the increase over three years. The bill is sponsored by House Speaker Chuck Kleckley as an attempt to give property owners an adjustment... more »

• Committee to hear breakaway school district bill

  April 29, 2013 10:39 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The Senate Finance Committee scheduled a hearing this morning for another attempt to create a breakaway school district in southeast Baton Rouge. The bill, filed by Sen. Mack "Bodi" White, is similar to the measure which failed to get the necessary two-thirds majority in the last... more »

• House committee working on 2013-14 budget

  April 29, 2013 8:48 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Lawmakers are making their first changes to Gov. Bobby Jindal's $24.7 billion budget proposal for next year in the House Appropriations Committee. Among the largest points of contention for Monday's committee hearing is whether to use piecemeal financing from land sales, legal settlements and fund sweeps... more »

• La. House committee retains letter grade formula

  April 24, 2013 2:53 PM

  BATON ROUGE- House Education Committee members have approved a proposal requiring the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to delay using new methods for calculating school performance letter grades. The new grading formula would include ACT test scores at high schools. It is set to apply to school and... more »

• Search committee named to pick LSU-A chancellor

  April 24, 2013 11:37 AM

  ALEXANDRIA - LSU System President Dr. William L. Jenkins has named a 20-member search committee of faculty, staff and students, as well as community leaders to help select the next chancellor for LSU-Alexandria. The Town Talk reports Dr. Haywood Joiner, chair of LSU Alexandria's Department of Allied Health, and Charles... more »

• Cigarette tax increase stalls

  April 22, 2013 12:07 PM

  BATON ROUGE - An attempt to raise cigarette taxes by $1.05 per pack has stalled in the House tax committee. Bogalusa Rep. Harold Ritchie pulled his proposal before a vote Monday, saying he knew he didn't have the support to advance the measure to the House floor. It would have... more »

• Committee backs social media privacy bill Play Video

  April 22, 2013 11:29 AM

  BATON ROUGE - A bill that would ban employers and school officials from requesting personal online login and passwords of employees or students is working its way through Louisiana legislature. State House Representative Ted James introduced the bill that passed the House Commerce Committee Monday. It will next be considered... more »

• Committee to look at privatized Medicaid plans

  April 9, 2013 10:37 AM

  BATON ROUGE - A state Senate committee scheduled to meet this afternoon will look at compromises other states have made with the Obama administration over expanding health coverage for the poor. Governor Bobby Jindal said he would not accept the Medicaid expansion under the president's health care reforms, saying... more »

• Committee approves state property sale

  March 18, 2013 1:43 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A joint legislative committee today approved the sale of a state property as proposed in Governor Jindal's executive budget. Wooddale Towers has been vacant since April 2011. State budget officials say some of the last tenants were state offices that have since been consolidated. A... more »

• CSULB president named finalist for LSU post Play Video

  March 18, 2013 1:37 PM

  BATON ROUGE - LSU's search committee named Dr. Fieldon King Alexander, the president of California State University, Long Beach, as their pick to be the school's next president. The decision was announced at the Board of Supervisors meeting this afternoon, and came at the end of an extensive nationwide... more »

• Finalist for LSU President to be named today

  March 18, 2013 12:02 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The search committee organized to vet candidates for the LSU president's position will recommend a finalist this afternoon at the Board of Supervisors meeting. Whomever the committee names will go before the full board for consideration and vote. No official action on the recommendation is... more »

• Committee shown worst-case scenarios for sinkhole

  March 18, 2013 10:47 AM

  BATON ROUGE - While they warned it's not likely, contractors showed Louisiana lawmakers details about worst-case scenarios at the Assumption Parish sinkhole today. Experts told members of the Joint Natural Resources Committee Monday there would be months of warnings before anything like those scenarios happened. The 9-acre sinkhole... more »

• Packed house for Senate sinkhole meeting

  February 19, 2013 10:27 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Spectators packed the Senate committee room at the state capitol this morning ahead of a scheduled committee meeting to discuss developments at the Assumption Parish sinkhole. The state Senate's Natural Resources Committee scheduled two meetings, one today and another later in Assumption Parish, to get more... more »

• Husband of wounded lawmaker says Congress must act

  January 30, 2013 10:34 AM

  WASHINGTON - The husband of wounded former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords says that while curbing gun violence is a complex problem, it is no excuse for inaction by lawmakers. Former astronaut Mark Kelly told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that he and his wife, former Arizona Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords,... more »

• Armstrong getting little sympathy from IOC

  January 18, 2013 10:34 AM

  LONDON - The vice president of the International Olympic Committee is weighing in on Lance Armstrong's televised interview with Oprah Winfrey. In an interview with The Associated Press, Thomas Bach says Armstrong's doping confession is "too little, too late" and fails to provide any new information that will help clean... more »

• Lawmakers to look at La. school security today

  January 17, 2013 10:36 AM

  BATON ROUGE - A state committee convened this morning to see how Louisiana schools could be better protected in the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting in Connecticut. Members of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security gathered at 10 a.m. to look over security procedures already in... more »

• Clinton to testify on Libya assault Jan. 22

  January 8, 2013 1:06 PM

  WASHINGTON - The top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee says Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will testify on the deadly Sept. 11 assault in Libya on Jan. 22. That's the day after President Barack Obama's inauguration and the first day the Senate returns to Washington after a... more »

• RNC looking into what went wrong in 2012

  December 10, 2012 3:05 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Republican National Committee is launching an independent inquiry into what worked in 2012's elections - and, perhaps more importantly, what did not. RNC chairman Reince Priebus on Monday rolled out his effort, called the Growth and Opportunity Project, to look at how GOP nominee Mitt Romney came... more »

• Senate committee approves email privacy bill

  November 29, 2012 10:46 AM

  WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved legislation that would require police to obtain a search warrant from a judge before they can review a person's emails or other electronic communications. The bill moves to the full Senate for its next vote. It makes it slightly more difficult for... more »

• Reid to McCain: No need for special Libya panel

  November 16, 2012 4:45 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Democratic leader in the Senate is rejecting Sen. John McCain's request for a Watergate-style congressional committee to investigate the deadly Sept. 11 raid in Libya. In a letter Friday to McCain, Sen. Harry Reid said he refuses to allow the Senate to be used as a "venue... more »

• Lawmakers back Jindal health outsourcing contract Play Video

  November 9, 2012 10:59 AM

  BATON ROUGE - After a shake-up on the House budget committee, Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration has gotten approval from lawmakers to outsource a state employee health insurance plan. The Senate Finance Committee backed the contract between the Office of Group Benefits and Blue Cross/Blue Shield in a 10-3 vote Friday,... more »

• Jindal critics ousted from House budget committee

  November 2, 2012 1:02 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Two Republican lawmakers have been kicked off the House budget committee after repeated clashes with Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration over its budget decisions. Jefferson Parish Rep. Cameron Henry, the vice-chairman of the panel, and Assumption Parish Rep. Joe Harrison say they were told Friday of their ouster... more »

• House leader says Jindal surplus plan violates law

  October 19, 2012 2:56 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The leader of the House budget committee says Gov. Bobby Jindal's proposal for using a $143 million surplus violates the law and an agreement reached with the House earlier this year to end a budget stalemate. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jim Fannin made his comments Friday as... more »

• Juvenile justice commission talks about ongoing issues Play Video

  August 14, 2012 5:49 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Plans are in the works to establish a network of regional directors for the La. Office of Juvenile Justice. Deputy Secretary Mary Livers told a juvenile justice commission that three directors will oversee three regions across the state. She says that will help them develop input... more »

• Senator asks for legal opinion on hospital closure

  August 14, 2012 2:54 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The chairman of the Senate Finance Committee is asking for an attorney general's opinion about whether Gov. Bobby Jindal can close a state-run mental health facility in St. Tammany Parish without legislative approval. Sen. Jack Donahue, a Republican from Mandeville, says closing Southeast Louisiana Hospital in a... more »

• School committee supports partial hiring freeze

  August 7, 2012 9:57 AM

  MONROE - The Ouachita Parish School Board's finance committee has voted to recommend the board continue the district's partial hiring freeze through the 2012-13 fiscal year. The board will consider the recommendation in its meeting Thursday. Committee members will also recommend the district continue its suspension on accepting... more »

• Search firm hired to look for LSU's next president

  July 27, 2012 12:11 PM

  BATON ROUGE - LSU's presidential search committee has selected a Dallas-based firm to help recruit and vet candidates. But it's still unclear if the committee will be looking for a system leader to also serve as chancellor of the flagship campus in Baton Rouge. On Friday, the search committee chose... more »

• Legislative study panel begins tax break review Play Video

  July 23, 2012 6:25 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A new study panel is reviewing the billions of dollars of state tax breaks on the books, looking at whether they are worth keeping as Louisiana faces repeated rounds of budget cuts. The 14-member review commission of legislative leaders held its first meeting Monday, featuring a crash... more »

• Joint committee questions tax breaks, health cuts

  July 23, 2012 10:19 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Lawmakers gathered in Baton Rouge today for a join budget committee meeting. On the agenda are questions about just how much the impact of the state's tax breaks are to the budget. Lawmakers also plan to question the Jindal administration about recent Medicaid cuts, most of... more »

• Lawmaker forced from leadership role offered to resign Play Video

  June 14, 2012 6:15 PM

  BATON ROUGE- State Representative Jim Morris, R-Oil City, says he did not agree with some of Governor Jindal's key session issues concerning the budget and education reform. Critics of the governor say that is the reason he was removed as the vice-chairman of the House Natural Resources and Environment... more »

• Bill to raise college tuition, fees stalls Play Video

  May 15, 2012 5:40 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A state lawmaker pulled a bill raising student fees before a committee could vote on it. The fees would have raised $107 million dollars. State Representative Chris Broadwater, R-Hammond, says the money would offset about $225 million in recent budget cuts. Some lawmakers say it... more »

• Senate committee starts debate over state budget Play Video

  May 14, 2012 5:53 PM

  BATON ROUGE- The Jindal Administration laid out a doomesday scenario for proposed budget cuts approved by the Louisiana House. House members wants to add $268 million in cuts to eliminate the use of one time money. The move is opposed by the governor's staff and Democratic leaders. Commissioner... more »

• Education bills at the Capitol today

  May 8, 2012 8:48 AM

  BATON ROUGE- The Louisiana House Education Committee meets this morning with a wide range of bills on the agenda. They include setting standards for the youngest age a child can enter kindergarten to requiring sex education to be taught in public schools. The committee will also consider a bill... more »

• Anti-bullying legislation heads to Senate vote Play Video

  May 3, 2012 5:45 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Legislation to address bullying in Louisiana schools passed the Senate Education Committee today, despite objections about last-minute changes. The substitute bill was introduced by Senator Rick Ward, D-Port Allen, and replaced an earlier version he had presented. Ward said he began looking into the issue... more »

• Anti-bullying bill advances despite opposition

  May 3, 2012 2:01 PM

  BATON ROUGE- The Senate Education Committee approved a new anti-bullying bill despite some saying it is not strong enough. The bill by Senator Rick Ward, D- Port Allen, does not include specific factors for bullying like race, sexual orientation, disability and gender identity. Some groups have opposed adding... more »

• Bills blocking former lawmakers from taking jobs rejected Play Video

  May 2, 2012 5:19 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A house committee killed two bills with one stone. The bills would have kept lawmakers from leaving the legislature and going straight into other state jobs. It has been a hot topic around the capitol for the past few months. Several former lawmakers were given appointments to... more »

• Online impersonation bill heads to Senate Play Video

  May 1, 2012 4:54 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A senate committee approved a bill making it illegal to create a face website, e-mail or Facebook account with the intention of hurting someone. State Representative Helena Moreno, D- New Orleans, says eight other states have passed similar legislation within the last two years. Some say... more »

• House committee to unveil plan to fill state's $211M deficit

  May 1, 2012 8:14 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The House budget-writing committee is unveiling its plans today for filling a $211 million deficit this year, after working behind the scenes with the governor's office on ideas for plugging the gap. The Appropriations Committee also is expected to rework next year's $25 billion budget proposal to... more »

• Mandated sex education bill stalls in committee

  April 25, 2012 2:27 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The House Education Committee has deadlocked on a proposal to require Louisiana public schools to teach sex education. The bill by Democratic Rep. Patricia Smith, of Baton Rouge, would require the courses beginning with the 2013-14 school year. They would include teaching about abstinence, contraceptives and... more »

• Committee approves cell phone driving ban Play Video

  April 24, 2012 5:41 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A bill making cell phone use illegal while driving has advanced at the State Capitol. The only exception in the bill by Representative Austin Badon, D- New Orleans, is with the use of a hands-free device. Badon has offered and supported several bills over the years... more »

• Groups opposed to governor's pension reform meet at capitol Play Video

  April 23, 2012 5:53 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Representatives for Louisiana state workers, firefighters and Baton Rouge police gathered at the Capitol to oppose Governor Bobby Jindal's pension reform package. The group gathered minutes after a senate committee rejected a bill making it easier for the retirement system to be changed. The governor says a... more »

• State retirement bill debate underway

  April 23, 2012 12:00 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Another component of Governor Bobby Jindal pension reform plan is scheduled for debate in the Senate Retirement Committee. It calls for a constitutional amendment to change state employees from a defined benefit retirement plan to a defined contribution plan. Groups opposed to the plan are also... more »

• House bill eliminates statewide breakaway vote

  April 18, 2012 10:42 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The House Education Committee approved a bill that would no longer require a statewide vote in order to form a breakaway school district. The bill would only require people to vote if they lived within the proposed district or lived in the boundaries of the existing... more »

• Bill to end LEAP, other tests fails in committee Play Video

  April 11, 2012 6:54 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Lawmakers rejected a bill today that sought to end most standardized testing in Louisiana public schools. The House Education Committee voted 13 to 3 against the measure from Rep. Barbara Norton, D-Shreveport. Norton told the committee she authored the bill because she feels the tests... more »

• Budget committee backs central La. prison sale

  April 10, 2012 2:20 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The House's budget committee has narrowly supported a Jindal administration plan to sell a central Louisiana prison to a private operator. A similar proposal was killed by the Appropriations Committee last year. But the panel has several new members who are allies of the governor and who... more »

• Budget committee considers central La. prison sale

  April 10, 2012 8:10 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The House's budget committee is set to decide whether to support a Jindal administration plan to sell a central Louisiana prison to a private operator. A similar proposal was killed by the Appropriations Committee last year. But the panel has several new members who are allies of... more »

• Bill would expand Florida Blvd.

  April 2, 2012 12:11 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A House committee is reviewing a transportation bill that would assess the feasibility of adding two lanes to Florida Boulevard (Highway 190.) Rep. Sherman Q. Mack is the primary author of the bill. An expanded highway would begin at the Tangipahoa Parish line and end at... more »

• Senate Committee approves child sex abuse bill Play Video

  March 27, 2012 2:20 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A bid to toughen Louisiana law that requires people to report child abuse is advancing in the Legislature, in response to the allegations of sexual abuse of boys involving a former Penn State University assistant football coach. A proposal by Sen. J.P. Morrell, of New Orleans, headed... more »

• Legislative leadership choices are giant puzzle

  November 30, 2011 2:45 PM

  BATON ROUGE - With elections over, lawmakers supported by Gov. Bobby Jindal to lead the House and Senate are working on the giant puzzle of who should be in charge of more than two dozen legislative committees. Lawmakers are jockeying for the positions, which come with power and status. ... more »

• Committee developing possible crime tax plan meets for first time

  August 22, 2011 10:56 PM

  BATON ROUGE- The committee tasked with tailoring a crime-focused tax plan laid out their needs list on Monday. It was the first time the group, made up of all law enforcement agencies in the parish, along with departments and organizations with ties to crime-fighting, met. The concept arose... more »

• Boehner names GOP members of 'super' debt panel

  August 10, 2011 2:12 PM

  WASHINGTON - A conservative Texas Republican congressman has been chosen to co-chair a powerful new committee that's supposed to find a bipartisan plan to cut the federal budget deficit by more than $1 trillion. House Speaker John Boehner (BAY'-nur) today named Jeb Hensarling to that post. The Democrat who... more »

• Senate panel approves House drug testing bill

  June 15, 2011 4:11 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A Senate committee has approved a Metairie lawmaker's proposal to require drug testing of welfare recipients, despite concerns the bill may be unconstitutional. Republican John LaBruzzo says the courts should decide whether it will be overturned, similar to a program in Florida. At issue is whether... more »

• Committee approves a series of sentencing changes

  June 14, 2011 4:14 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A Senate committee has approved three House-backed bills to release low-risk offenders from prison early, moving them near final passage. The Judiciary B Committee on Tuesday approved a Baton Rouge lawmaker's bill to allow certain inmates above age 60 to be considered for parole. The bill,... more »

• Bill would add new legislative hurdle for hospital

  June 13, 2011 4:01 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The House budget committee has narrowly agreed to add new legislative roadblocks to construction of a public medical center in New Orleans. The proposal headed to the House for debate would require another layer of full legislative approval before dollars could be borrowed or leases could... more »

• DEQ, DNR give lawmakers a flood impact report

  June 7, 2011 5:46 PM

  BATON ROUGE- State environmental agencies say oil and gas facilities were notified and prepared for the Mississippi River flooding, despite reports of some chemical storage facilities being threatened by the rising water. Members of the Department of Natural Resources and Dept. of Environmental Quality said the opening of the... more »

• Guns on campus bill rejected

  June 1, 2011 5:55 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A state House committee defeated another bill which would allow concealed carry holders to bring firearms on a Louisiana college campus, rejecting it with an 8-3 vote. State Rep. Ernest Wooten, I-Belle Chasse, has attempted to get similar bills through the legislature for several years, arguing that... more »

• Senators reject repeal of 'Science Education Act'

  May 26, 2011 3:02 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A Senate panel has refused to repeal a Louisiana law that allows public school science teachers to use supplemental materials in their classrooms beyond state-approved textbooks. More than 40 Nobel Prize-winning scientists urged the repeal of the Louisiana Science Education Act, saying it creates a way... more »

• Finalists for BRPD chief selected by committee

  May 11, 2011 5:59 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The final five candidates for the position of Baton Rouge Police Chief were selected by Mayor-President Kip Holden's advisory committee today. The committee chose the five after two days of talking to the ten candidates they'd voted to move on to the face-to-face interviews. The list... more »

• BRPD Chief candidates list narrowed to 11

  May 6, 2011 1:57 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Members of Mayor-President Kip Holden's selection committee whittled the list of possible candidates for Baton Rouge Police Chief down to 11 this morning. The committee took the top names from two rounds of votes during their meeting today. It's the second meeting for the group. ... more »

• SUNO/UNO merger passes first House committee vote

  May 4, 2011 4:01 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A merger of historically black Southern University at New Orleans with the largely white University of New Orleans has passed its first legislative hurdle, winning approval from the House Education Committee. Wednesday's 10-5 vote was the first stop in a long process. The consolidation proposal heads... more »

• Mayor's Police Chief advisory committee meets for first time

  April 29, 2011 3:59 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The committee chosen to select the next Baton Rouge Police chief met today for the first time, according to the mayor-president's office. The 26 people were selected by Mayor-President Kip Holden to help cut down the list of 30 certified candidates recently forwarded to his office... more »

• House committee backs 2 north congressional seats

  March 31, 2011 4:49 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The House's redistricting committee has sided with two north Louisiana congressmen, backing remap plans that would maintain the core of their districts by extending them further south. The redesign favored by the House and Governmental Affairs Committee would protect the structure of the districts held by... more »

• Dozens rally against proposed prison sales

  March 24, 2011 5:14 PM

  BATON ROUGE- People filled the steps of the state capitol is opposition to a plan to sell off three state prisons and privatize another. The Jindal Administration says the move would generate about $85 million dollars that will be used for health care services. Louisiana is facing a $1.6 billion... more »

• LA Secretary of State concerned about funding

  March 23, 2011 4:54 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler says budget cuts have made it nearly impossible to operate the 17 state museums under his control. Schedler told a House committee it may be time to prioritize the museums in order to pay for the ones that attract the... more »

• Southern hires search firm to find next BR chancellor

  January 27, 2011 5:26 PM

  BATON ROUGE – The Southern University System has hired a search firm to help find the next chancellor for their Baton Rouge campus. School officials contracted DHR to assist their search committee pick a new head for the school by June 30. Representatives will start meeting with the committee and... more »

• Committee hears budget recommendations

  November 12, 2010 9:42 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The state Senate Committee on Finance is reviewing streamlining budget recommendations and cuts to higher education. We'll update you on the discussion throughout the day at WBRZ.com and on Twitter by following @WBRZ and @MikeSteeleWBRZ. more »

• Money may stay on downtown streets, not go to police

  October 20, 2010 10:32 PM

  Half of the East Baton Rouge Metro Council wants to leave almost a million dollars dedicated to changing the direction of two downtown streets in the project's budget. A committee of the council talked about removing $900,000 from a construction plan turning St. Louis and St. Ferdinad Streets into... more »

• St. Helena board to set up biracial panel

  October 18, 2010 9:29 AM

  The St. Helena Parish school board will try to appoint a biracial committee to recommend solutions to the problems facing the school system, in addition to the court appointed committee. School Board member Alton Travis, who came up with the idea, says he was mostly concerned about getting something done... more »

• Potential bi-racial school committee members named

  October 6, 2010 6:35 PM

  St. Helena School Board Attorney Nelson Taylor filed in federal court 22 names of potential bi-racial committee members Tuesday. A judge had asked for the submission after he said he got letters from parents who do not trust school leaders in the parish. Two of those members have ideas... more »

• St. Helena board to form school panel

  September 24, 2010 8:49 AM

  The St. Helena School Board will form a parishwide committee to find solutions to the district's old and deteriorating buildings, low teacher salaries and students' lagging test scores. The decision to form a committee followed a lengthy discussion on calling elections to fund teacher pay increases and to finance construction... more »

• Group to study Orleans Parish prison size

  September 24, 2010 5:58 AM

  New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu has signed an executive order establishing a committee that will advise him on possible plans for a new prison complex in the city. The new "Criminal Justice Working Group" is to examine information on the size and other aspects for a possible new complex. The... more »

• Central school committee wants legal opinion on drug testing hair

  September 20, 2010 9:31 PM

  For students in Central, it's back to basic drug testing. A school board committe recommended returning to urine testing while waiting for a legal opinion on hair testing. "One, can we do hair? Because there's nothing in any of this policy, any of these laws talks about hair.... more »

• EBR committee unhappy with crime camera report

  September 1, 2010 10:12 PM

  Equipment meant to keep you safe is at the center of a dispute between the mayor and Metro Council in Baton Rouge. Police want another half million dollars to maintain the system, so the council wanted contracts, costs and capability of the cameras in two years of use. What a... more »

• HB 1437 fails in committee

  April 29, 2010 11:05 AM

  House Bill 1437 failed in committee Thursday morning. The bill would have allowed students to go home at noon on school days when the temperature climbs above 100 degrees. In 2007, school leaders from north Louisiana conducted a study by putting thermometers in school buses. The results found temperatures... more »

• Committee votes down gay adoption bill

  April 27, 2010 11:39 AM

  A Louisiana Senate committee voted down a bill that would have allowed same sex couples to legally adopt children. The bill was discussed Tuesday morning at the Capitol. The measure failed by a 3-1 vote. The committee is now considering a second bill that would block gay parents... more »