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Legislative session recap; suit challenges eviction process; reducing Louisiana’s childhood obesity rates

Louisiana’s State Capitol. Nov. 12, 2021.
Aubry Procell
/
WWNO/WRKF
Louisiana’s State Capitol. Nov. 12, 2021.

Louisiana lawmakers passed more than 200 bills during this year’s regular legislative session. WWNO/WRKF Capitol Access reporter Brooke Thorington joined Louisiana Considered to give us an overview of what lawmakers achieved this session, from approving ivermectin sales without prescriptions to insurance reform.

A new lawsuit by the Southern Poverty Law Center and National Housing Law Project alleges that Louisiana’s eviction process incentivizes justices of the peace to order evictions and encourages landlords to file more cases. The suit alleges that allowing justices of the peace to fund their salaries with court fee revenue violates the due process and equal protection rights of Louisiana’s poorest tenants.

Investigative journalist Delaney Nolan has been covering the lawsuit for Bolts, and joins us with more details.

Pennington Biomedical Research launched a new initiative earlier this month that aims to reduce rates of childhood obesity in Louisiana. Melissa Martin, director of Greaux Healthy, joins us to discuss the group’s work.

Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. We receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman, Adam Vos and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell.

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, the NPR App and wherever you get your podcasts.

Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.

Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Karen Henderson is an award-winning journalist whose stories have aired nationally on NPR.
Aubry is a reporter, producer and operations assistant in Baton Rouge.