By Greg LaRose | Editor-in-Chief
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From left: Jericho Morris and Christian Morris Jr. join their mom, Pamela Evans of Shreveport, and hundreds of others in a voting rights rally at the State Capitol in Baton Rouge on March 18, 2026. (Wes Muller/LAI)
By Wes Muller
A legislative committee has blocked a bill that would have established a Louisiana Voting Rights Act to strengthen protections against gerrymandering and voter suppression. The vote came amid ongoing weakening at the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 at the federal level.
Rep. Joseph Orgeron, R-Cut Off, is carrying a hotly contested menhaden regulation bill. (Wes Muller/LAI)
By Elise Plunk
The fight is back on over regulation of menhaden fishing off the Louisiana coast, with the state legislature entering the fray. Lawmakers’ proposals so far favor recreational anglers and charter captains who have accused the industry of upsetting the balance of the offshore ecosystem.
Rep. Tony Bacala, R-Prairieville, has proposed an increase in the daily reimbursement rate paid local correctional facilities to house state inmates. (Allison Allsop/LAID)
By Sheridan White, LSU Manship News Service
A bill to raise the daily reimbursement rate for housing state inmates is advancing with broad bipartisan support, as Louisiana lawmakers seek to ease financial pressure on local correctional facilities while acknowledging the increase still falls short of covering true costs.
By Alla Claire Vollers
Efforts have played out in recent years among Republican lawmakers to push for state takeovers of police departments and other municipal agencies in Democratic cities that often have significant Black populations. Conservative lawmakers frame their proposals as necessary for improving public safety or financial accountability. Critics say the takeover efforts undermine democracy by overriding local control, exceeding the traditional bounds of state power while perpetuating racist stereotypes.
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