Patchwork pay plan

By Greg LaRose | Editor-in-Chief

It might not feel like based on the rain we’ve seen over the past week, but forecasters say there’s an above average risk for wildfires in Louisiana later this summer. We talk to Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain about readiness in the latest episode of “The Light Switch.” Listen here.

By Julie O’Donoghue

The plan will require the governor to issue an executive order after the Louisiana Legislature’s session has finished June 1. Two-thirds of state lawmakers in each chamber also have to approve moving the money, with a vote taking place by mail-in ballot.

By Julie O’Donoghue

An advancing proposal would allow the state’s Democratic and Republican party leaders to decide whether voters who aren’t affiliated with a party could participate in their primary elections. It has already passed the House and only needs approval from the Senate to go to the desk of Gov. Jeff Landry, who has pushed proposals to exclude no-party voters from political primaries in the past and would likely support the bill becoming law. 

By Wes Muller

Large industrial facilities in Louisiana with the capacity to generate enough electricity to provide some of it to the broader grid need approval from the Louisiana Public Service Commission to do so. Proposed legislation would bypass many of the approval requirements for this additional power supply to be made available.

By David Lightman

The future of data centers and their huge appetite for electricity is quickly escalating as a political flashpoint from coast to coast, moving from cities and states now to the nation’s capital. Bills are under debate in Congress. The Trump administration has weighed in. Lobbying is intensifying. The Environmental  Protection Agency is proposing changes. But finding consensus on how to proceed in D.C. is tough

By Tia Fields

A bill to eliminate one of Louisiana’s majority-Black congressional districts will go up for a vote in the Louisiana House of Representatives this week, possibly the final stop before it heads to Gov. Jeff Landry for his signature. But before Louisiana redraws congressional power for the next decade, lawmakers should answer one basic question: Are the numbers behind this map accurate?

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