My bill, HB 490, is proceeding to final passage today. It has passed unanimously in both the House and Senate and creates an Advisory Council on Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education. HB 490 establishes an interagency government board tasked with collecting data and implementing a unified, state-wide strategy to combat the opioid epidemic that we face.
Read MoreThere are three weeks left of the Legislative Session and it seems like we are stalled at a crossroads of common sense: even though this is a fiscal session and we are facing a budget deficit and a fiscal cliff in 2019, hardly any bills have been heard, much less passed, that deal with our revenue problems. They have certainly been filed, but the vast majority haven’t even been scheduled a hearing in the House Ways and Means Committee-the origin of all revenue. With one notable exception.
Read MoreI began my career as an Assistant District Attorney in New Orleans where I prosecuted violent offenders and drug traffickers. I was proud of the work that I did there and I continue to benefit from the education I received in those courtrooms. But the lesson that has stuck with me the most is that, although we’ve been tough on crime, we haven’t been smart on crime. In Louisiana, we’ve somehow ended up with the highest incarceration rate in the world but still struggle with public safety and recidivism. We’ve sent more and more nonviolent offenders to prison while at the same time cutting funding for effective prison alternatives, programs ...
Read More“‘Representative Leger and I finally found something we can agree on,’ Denham Springs Republican Valarie Hodges said, with a laugh. ‘Love it!’ New Orleans Democrat Walt Leger responded.”
Read More“Change is never easy in government, especially when it comes to crime and punishment. But perpetuating the same losing pattern – and getting the same disappointing results – is not a strategy, it’s a waste of taxpayer money. The people of Louisiana deserve better. And it’s time for their elected representatives – Democrats, Republicans and Independents – to deliver.”
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