Louisiana Governor Announces Support for Legislation

Photo: Shreveport, Louisiana

Last week, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal announced his support for several pieces of legislation being considered by the Legislature in the regular session.

Bills Related to Economic Development:

• SB343 (Duplessis) -- Extends the sunset provision (from 7/08 to 7/12) to maintain confidentiality in LED's active negotiations for the purpose of retaining, expanding, or attracting economic or business development.
• HB1018 (Tucker), SB420 (Chaisson) -- Establish a standard training fund for high-demand, high-cost training programs at LCTCS, as determined by market demand and economic employment projections.
• HCR65 (Tucker), SCR46 (Chaisson) -- Concurrent resolution to urge the Board of Regents to link the funding for two-year institutions to real program costs, workforce demand, and training programs.

Bill Related to Access:

• SB287 (Mount) -- Provides for the LA Health Care Consumer's Right to Know Act; empowers consumers with access to health plan and health care provider specific cost, quality and outcome data as well as trends and patterns in health care; allows DHH to develop a data collection and publication process.

Bills Related to Public Safety and Health:

• SB228 (Heitmeier) -- Calls for licensing standards designed to ensure only qualified institutions serve as a crisis receiving center, and that they be appropriately staffed, equipped and prepared to identify the immediate needs of the patient.
• HB193 (Katz) -- Provides for Medicaid malpractice coverage for physicians who offer voluntary telemedicine services for DHH.
• SB701 (Mount) -- "No wrong door": Provides for service integration of health and social services; creates a framework of accountability for service integration and rapid implementation of a model that coordinates, collaborates and co-locates entities that serve children and families.
• SB517 (Amedee) -- Increases the registration requirements for sexual offenders; allows a judge to require lifetime registration based on the circumstances of the crime.
• SB510 (Amedee) -- Increase the minimum sentence for computer-aided solicitation of a minor from one year to a 5-year minimum when the victim is 13 or older and a ten-year minimum when the victim is 12 or younger; prohibits the use of electronic communications to establish other forms of communications in order to persuade, induce, or entice a minor to engage or participate in sexual conduct.
• SB596 (Walsworth) -- Provides the Inspector General with access to law enforcement databases; protects confidentiality of investigations.