Capitol Access

A bill to legalize betting on professional and college sports in Louisiana casinos started advancing in the Senate Tuesday.

“It’s not a big money maker, but if we don’t do it, it puts us at a distinct disadvantage,” Senator Danny Martiny (R-Metairie) told members of a Senate judiciary committee.

Facing a steep drop in state revenue last year, the Louisiana Legislature agreed to partially extend the state sales tax by .45% until 2025. But as the state’s finances have moved from deficit to surplus, some Republican lawmakers are reconsidering the temporary tax. 

A proposed constitutional amendment regarding abortion cleared its first hurdle in the House Civil Law committee last week. 

Louisiana Senator Troy Carter (D-New Orleans) has proposed a bill that would automatically register people to vote when they apply for a driver's license.

A handful of Democratic legislators are pushing a plan to provide paid family and medical leave for working families in Louisiana.

The debate over school funding came to a head Tuesday, when the House Education committee voted to change the K-12 budget proposal backed by Governor John Bel Edwards. 

Massive criminal justice reforms passed by the Legislature two years ago have shed the state’s title as the incarceration capital of the nation. Sentencing changes, including increased access to probation and parole, are also saving the state millions of dollars. 

For the first time in about a decade, the Louisiana Legislature is set to consider ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment.  If successful, Louisiana would be the last state needed to adopt the amendment - ensuring the equal rights of men and women - to the U.S. Constitution.

Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards and Republican Congressman Ralph Abraham squared off at a gubernatorial forum Thursday held by the non-partisan Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana.