The 2018 vintage of the Louisiana legislature has been in session now since February 19 2018.  Initially, it met in an extraordinary fiscal session called by Governor John Bel Edwards to grapple with the then-one billion dollar budget shortfall.   That two week endeavor ended in failure. Essentially nothing was passed.

Legislators being in session for essentially the first half of each year for the past series of springs has become a regular occurence, primarily due to major budgetary issues.  The individual lawmakers are tired. Nerves are frayed. The everyday grind focuses upon minutia. They are underpaid. And perhaps worse of all, nothing seems to be getting done. Bills are getting killed.

Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards and Twistlock CEO Ben Bernstein announced that the company will establish a Global Solutions Engineering Center in Baton Rouge. Twistlock is a cybersecurity firm, Twistlock will create 20 new direct jobs with an average salary of $90,000, plus benefits. Additionally, Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in 23 new indirect jobs, for a total of more than 40 new jobs in Louisiana’s Capital Region.

Democrats and those wanting to halt the prospects of drastic cuts are on a full court press. Today, email boxes are flooded by organizations to say no to the Republican Louisiana House of Representative budget for next year. Below are a selection of some of the emails:

 In response to the Republican-controlled House Appropriations committee's decision to fully fund TOPS and not providing funding to other areas of state government, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards released the following statement on the House Appropriations Committee’s decision "to make drastic cuts to higher education, health care, including partner hospitals and medical schools, and public safety"

Louisiana has good news, kinda.

The state’s Revenue Estimating Conference met today and recognized $346 million in revenues, most primarily due to the Republican-Trump tax cut leaving a difference in the budget shortfall of $647M which is obviously much better than the $997 million hole we were looking at prior to the regular session.  That’s the good news.

Did Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards blow a great opportunity to make lemonade out of lemon, at least, as it relates to the Karen Carter Peterson  "repeal the second amendment" tweet that has become a controversy locally and nationally?

Jim Brown, commentator and former Statewide elected official and state Senator says yes, he did.

 We have teachers leaving their classes, protesting low pay and inadequate financial support for schools; Kids are taking off from class in droves, making sure their once muted voices are being heard on matters such as gun-control and weapons in schools. Once again, the state budget is a total mess and the voters are up in arms.

Whoa!!

Does Karen Carter Peterson, the Chairperson of the Louisiana Democratic Party support repealing the second amendment?

Rob Maness seems to think so and points to the evidence. A tweet by Peterson, that states "Repeal the Second Amendment" which includes the very controversial op-ed in the New York Times, earlier this week by no less, than former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who advocated that it should be repealed.

There were several gatherings at the state capitol in Baton Rouge last week.  Former legislators gathered for their annual reunion to catch up on old friendships and reminisce about past legislative accomplishments.  And the few living delegates from the 1973 Louisiana Constitutional Convention were honored for their service as talk of a new convention was being debated in the capitol halls.  One theme ran through both gatherings. Why aren’t problems being solved?  Why so little cooperation?  Where is the vision?

Today, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards responded to the decision by Attorney General Jeff Landry not to open the Alton Sterling investigation. The governor noted that the Louisiana Department of Justice followed the process as outlined by law but also backed an administrative review to determine any disciplinary action to be undertaken.