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Louisiana News
- 11/11/08 - Dumping in Red River Investigated
- 10/28/08 - Council to Vote on Fish Farms in Gulf
- 10/16/08 - Bayer Facing A Billion Dollars in Lawsuits After Polluting Thousands of Rice Fields with Genetically Engineered Rice
- 09/19/08 - C-130s to Spray for Mosquitoes in Coastal Parishes
- 09/08/08 - Louisiana Losing Ground in Fight Against Storms
- 08/31/08 - Three Years After: The Failure to Learn From Katrina
- 08/26/08 - Holding Out, to Last Tiny Isle, as Cajun Land Sinks Into Gulf
- 08/22/08 - Grassroots Direct Action: San Francisco Voters Nov. 4 Will Tell Their Congress Reps to Defund the War
- 08/22/08 - Jim Hightower: Let's Stop Clowning Around With America's Economy
- 08/21/08 - Cuisine in the Age of Chaos: The Dead Zone Diet
- 08/21/08 - Mad Cow USA: The Cover-up Continues
- 08/20/08 - What We Have Now is Geopolitical Peak Oil
- 07/25/08 - FEMA Seeks Immunity From Suits Over Trailer Fumes
- 07/24/08 - Has Your Town Declared Peace Yet?
- 07/23/08 - Massive Fuel Spill Closes Part of Mississippi River
- 07/18/08 - As Price of Grain Rises, Catfish Farms Dry Up
- 07/14/08 - Sign of Katrina Fatigue? Storm Memorial Delayed
- 07/10/08 - Judge Rules for Black Panther
- 07/09/08 - Nagin Takes Shine to Solar Energy
- 07/07/08 - This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories
- 06/30/08 - States Taking Initiative on Environmental & Climate Crisis while Feds Do Little or Nothing
- 06/27/08 - Two States With Tarnished Images Make Strong Gains on Ethics in 2008
- 06/14/08 - Reviewing 'The Shock Doctrine in Action in New Orleans': The Bush Gang Are Not Incompetent, They're Evil
- 06/11/08 - Move Over MoveOn: Grassroots Netroots Alliance (GNA) Launches New Progressive Campaign to 'Press the Politicians'
- 06/05/08 - Trains' Cargo Raises Concern
- 06/05/08 - Plaintiffs Scorn Offer in Radiation Lawsuit
- 05/30/08 - Verenium Opens Cellulosic Ethanol Demo Plant
Submit News Stories
Government Trailers Found to Contain Toxic Chemical- Please Assist Victims of Katrina
A Center for Disease Control (CDC) study release on Wednesday confirmed fears that the government trailers that have been housing victims of Hurricane Katrina are giving off dangerous chemicals. The CDC study found emissions of toxic chemicals to be four to eleven times higher in the trailers, than in the average US home.
It is believed that the main danger is from the chemical formaldehyde, which is found in many building materials, such as wood glue. Formaldehyde. Combined with the trailers' poor ventilation, many fear that people, especially children, who have stayed in the trailers for extended periods of time, could face lifelong health complications. Many children who stayed in trailers have since come down with various respiratory problems such as asthma, and formaldehyde is a considered a probable carcinogen.
The CDC is now urging that everyone be moved out of the government trailers. Please contact your representative and urge them to assist the victims of Katrina. Ask them to make sure that everyone is moved into safe housing, and that the government continues to provide housing for victims of Katrina. Additionally, please ask them to make sure that people who have been housed in these trailers have access to medical care to monitor for and treat any illness that arises from chemical exposure.
Take Action
CDC Report
Children
in Katrina Trailers May Face Lifelong Ailments (Associated
Press)
Louisiana's 2008 Legislative Roundup
From Progressive States Network)
Louisiana has had three sessions this year, with two specials before the regular session that ended last month. The state moved on a series of significant measures to mixed results, but in the end controversy over a legislative pay raise and the governor's unanticipated line item vetoes of over 200 legislative spending items dominated the news. Coming into the session the spotlight was focused on new Governor Bobby Jindal who, at age 36, is the youngest current governor in the United States. He also became the first non-white to serve as governor of Louisiana since Reconstruction, and the first elected Indian American governor in U.S. history. Dubbed a "conservative reformer," he achieved enough in his first session to earn Newt Gingrich's regard as "America's most transformational governor."
Ethics Reform: Upon being elected, the governor quickly called the legislature into special session to pass an ethics package. He put forth several dozen changes to the current law, the majority of which were designed to increase the state's ranking on independent watchdogs' comparisons of disclosure and ethics laws (by the Better Government Association and the Center for Public Integrity).
While much of the package passed, lawmakers were especially resistant to strong financial disclosure requirements. They ended up growing the list of officials covered under the requirement significantly, even adding volunteer members of small state agencies to the rigorous disclosure requirements. The law was amended to relax these requirements, but not before droves of people who sat on commissions resigned. Lawmakers also vociferously opposed a move to ban all gifts, and even a $50 limit on meals purchased by lobbyists drew scorn, though it eventually passed and certainly hasn't kept the legislators from eating well.
The major setbacks of the session came in a bill to strip the state ethics board of the power to adjudicate cases, giving that power to administrative law judges. This bill also became the target of a successful amendment, decried by advocates, which raised the standard of proof for being found guilty of ethics charges. The newly diminished role for the constitutionally mandated Ethics Board caused almost all of the board members and key staff to resign. Some former board members have spoken out against the changes as well.
Budget: Louisiana was in the enviable position of figuring out what to do with a $1 billion surplus largely created by surging revenue from extraction royalties as the price of oil skyrockets. The state constitution prevents budget surpluses from being returned to taxpayers as rebates and also places limits where they can be spent. The mammouth surplus didn't keep the House from attempting to make huge cuts in education and healthcare, but the majority of those monies were replaced by the Senate.
- Tax Cuts: In enacting SB 87, the legislature directed roughly 75 percent of the tax cut to the wealthiest fifth of Louisianans, while taxpayers in the bottom two-fifths of the income distribution would see virtually no change in their taxes. Corporate taxes for a host of industries were also trimmed by $50 million.
- Infrastructure: $530 million of the surplus went to transportation and infrastructure improvement across the state, while $300 million to hurricane protection and coastal restoration, $75 million to deferred maintenance for higher education.
Education: Teacher pay was increased by an average of $1,000 per teacher to keep it at the southern average. Teacher aids will also receive a $1,000 bonus this year. $90 million was appropriated for incentive pay for teacher accreditation and innovative teaching methods.
- The state will phase in Universal Pre-Kindergarten over the next couple years (SB 286 sponsored by Sen. Ann Duplessis), however, the future of the program is dependent on future funding increases.
- On the negative side, the legislature passed a tax deduction for private
school tuition, and a voucher program in New Orleans to attend private schools
(HB
1347).
- Higher Ed tuition at public universities will be allowed to increase 3 to 5 percent a year over the next four years. State funding was held steady, and the state still has comparatively low tuition rates.
- The state enacted
a dangerous, first-in-the-nation "academic freedom" law to allow local school
boards to introduce extra materials critical of scientific topics like global
warming and evolution. Critics include major scientific organizations who say
it is an attempt to bring religion to the classroom and will likely inspire a
lawsuit. The law is the only success this session for creationists in the state
legislatures, but presents
a significant win for the creationist Discovery Institute that has
specifically pushed for local school boards to have control over the content of
scientific education.
Legislative Salaries: The state's lawmakers have not seen a pay raise
since 1980, and they passed a bill to double their current compensation to
$37,500, saying that normal working people couldn't afford to be legislators
given the low pay and job demands. Regardless of the merits, the backlash among
Louisianans was severe and now 70 percent of voters say they will vote against
their legislators. The governor initially promised not to veto a pay raise in
exchange for good will toward his legislative agenda. However, after he and four
legislators became the targets of recall petitions, he backtracked
and vetoed the raise.
Workforce Training: The Department of Labor was reorganized and
reconstituted as the Louisiana Workforce Commission with a mission to identify
job training needs and make use of the community college system to provide that
training (SB
612 sponsored by Senate
President Joel Chaisson). Louisiana has an estimated 100,000 jobs open due
to a lack of trained workers. Only eight percent of the workforce has at least
two years of post-high school training or education. The meeting of this
crucial need is a priority for both business and labor and the legislation
passed each house unanimously.
Health Care:
- The Health
Care Consumers Right to Know Act directs the Dept. of Health to develop and
publicize metrics of "cost, quality and performance data" for all health care
providers and insurance plans in the state.
- The SCHIP program was expanded by $10 million, and the state has set a goal
to add 28,000 children to the system in the coming year.
- Under HB
958, health insurance providers must now cover treatment of autism spectrum
disorder in children under 17. The legislation passed both chambers
unanimously. Health plans will cover $36,000 of treatment per year, with a
responsibility to pay a total of $144,000, which is equal to four years of
treatment. Autism
Speaks notes
that this is the eighth state to mandate autism treatment coverage, and
Pennsylvania recently enacted the most robust law
in the nation.
Hurricane Recovery: In a messy last minute compromise, lawmakers
enacted changes to the Road Home program that compensates homeowners for damage
from Hurricane Katrina (SB
755 sponsored by Senators Herbert
and Murray).
Program recipients will now be able to appeal their grants to an arbitrator
hired by the state. Several members had hoped to allow appeals in court or at
the least some judicial review, but opposition killed those measures. The law
also allows grants to be based upon the highest pre-storm property
appraisals.
Video Franchising: Louisiana legislators, under pressure from major service providers, enacted SB 807, a statewide video franchising bill. Telecommunication service providers argue that these franchises, which create a single statewide simplified process of offering cable services, could have benefits for the public, such as slightly increasing competition. The Louisiana legislation, however, failed to include certain consumer protections and community benefits, such as support for Public Educational and Government (PEG) stations, protection of municipal control and the assurance of required build-out to underserved and un-served areas, and is therefore not in the public interest. Among the worst provisions:
- Build-out requirements are completely prohibited: A key component of why
service providers favor statewide franchises is they provide them the ability to
selectively deploy new network technology. Under Senate Bill 807, there is no
community-wide build out obligation.
- Reduction of municipal control and ability to negotiate for community benefits.
- No substantial PEG protections.
Youth Voting: Under HB
990, the state now allows the designation of secondary school guidance
counselor offices as state voter registration agencies, enlisting counselors in
registering new voters pursuant to designation by the Secretary of
State.
In this eventful session, the state made some progress on a few positive issues like pre-K and youth voting, but the session was mostly marked by tax cuts tilted towards the wealthy and other bad bills.
Take Action. Support Green Jobs!
The Green Jobs Act of 2007 authorized $125 million per year to create an Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Worker Training Program as an amendment to the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). The Green Jobs Act (GJA) is an initial pilot program to identify needed skills, develop training programs, and train workers for jobs in a range of industries - including energy efficient building, construction and retrofits, renewable electric power, energy efficient vehicles, biofuels, and manufacturing that produces sustainable products and uses sustainable processes and materials. It targets a broad range of populations for eligibility, but has a special focus on creating "green pathways out of poverty."
Congress has not yet appropriated money for the Green Jobs Act. Please contact your Senator today and urge them to fund the Green Jobs Act of 2007!
Read more at Green for All's web site.
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