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Thursday, September 02, 2010
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Gov. Jindal Vetoes Pay Raise
At a press conference announcing his line item vetoes in the supplemental spending bill today, Governor Bobby Jindal announced that he has vetoed the legislative pay raise bill to more than double legislators’ pay, SB 672.
“I have opposed this pay raise at every turn and from the very beginning. A doubling of legislative pay is clearly excessive and it takes effect prior to the next election, which I believe is bad policy,” Governor Jindal said. “This bill would also have set up a system to give legislators automatic pay raises in the future without additional legislative votes - which is a lack of accountability that we cannot accept.”
The Governor had previously said he would not veto the pay raise to allow the legislature to conduct its own internal affairs. “I clearly made a mistake by telling the legislature that I would allow them to handle their own affairs,” Jindal said. “As with all mistakes, you can either correct them or compound them - I am choosing to correct my mistake now.
“I have said that I was not going to stop legislators from more than doubling their own pay by vetoing this because I did not want to give them any excuse to slow down the momentum of our reform movement here in Louisiana. It turns out this is an unsustainable position. I have come to realize that the reforms I have been fighting for are simply incompatible with this legislative pay raise.
“I was trying to preserve our reform agenda and our momentum by tolerating this legislative pay raise that I knew was completely excessive. But the two cannot coexist.
“The bottom line is that allowing this excessive legislative pay raise to become law would so significantly undercut our reform agenda, and so significantly diminish the people’s confidence in their own government, that I cannot let it become law. So, I have vetoed the bill.”
The Governor continued to say that, “The sideshow over massive legislative pay raises has already taken up far too much time. It’s time to get back to doing the people’s business. There is a tremendous amount of work to be done in our state…there are roads to build, jobs to create, business to open, and kids to educate.”
The Governor also called for legislators to direct any anger over the veto of the pay raise to him, and not the people of Louisiana by impeding future important reforms for the state. Jindal said, “I know that some of the legislators are going to be upset that I broke my word to them to stay out of their business. But I am asking them to take out their anger on me – not on the people of Louisiana.”
The Governor concluded his remarks by calling on the public to continue their close involvement in government and the political process. The Governor said, “to all the citizens of Louisiana who have become so vocal on this issue and so involved in the process - stay involved. There is a lot more to do. Don’t tune out or stop paying attention to the political process now. This government belongs to you; it is your business. I’m going to need your help.”
Monday, June 30, 2008 4:45 PM
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Driver Checkpoint Results in St. Martin Parish
Louisiana State Police, the St. Martin Parish Sheriff's office and the St. Martinville Police Department conducted an impaired driver checkpoint Friday night into Saturday morning on highway 31 near highway 353. Several field sobriety tests were conducted. There were 3 d-w-i arrests and several other citations for different offenses.
Monday, June 30, 2008 5:02 AM
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Church Point Man Dead
A single car crash near highway 95 in Acadia Parish claimed the life of a Church Point man. State Police report Jose Paredes applied the brakes at an intersections and turned his wheel to the left. He slid into the ditch the car spun around and Paredes was ejecting onto the road. He was not wearing a seatbelt and died at the scene. Police say alcohol is suspected in the crash.
Monday, June 30, 2008 4:53 AM
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Jindal Backing Off?
Is Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal backing off his promise to NOT veto the lawmaker pay raise bill? He told CNN Sunday, quote, "There is still time to stop them. We still have a week." The governor went on to say his administration is still working with legislators on many options to stop it over the next week. He did not offer specifics. Friday, the Secretary of State's Office received an application for a recall petition to try to force a recall election for Jindal.
Monday, June 30, 2008 4:47 AM
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Car Crash In Acadia Parish Claims Life
A single car crash early Sunday morning in Acadia Parish left one of three people dead. 24-year-old James Walter of Breaux Bridge died at the scene when he was thrown from the car after it left highway 343, traveled into a ditch, struck a culvert and overturned. The two other occupants of the car left the scene before troopers arrived and were located at a hospital seeking treatment for moderate injuries. Investigators say alcohol is suspected to have played a role in the accident. At last word, it had not been determined who was driving the car.
Monday, June 30, 2008 4:46 AM
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Louisiana Awarded With $170 Million Education Grant
 The U.S. Department of Education awards a 170-million-dollar grant to a consortium of 26 states, including Louisiana, to develop new common assessments for public school students.
Thursday, September 02, 2010 9:33 PM
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DOTD Issues Labor Day Travel Advisory
 The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) today advised drivers of upcoming work schedules for interstate and major road projects throughout Louisiana for the Labor Day weekend (Saturday, September 4, through Monday, September 6).
Thursday, September 02, 2010 9:28 PM
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One Dead In Early Morning Shooting
 Baton Rouge police report that officers responded to a shooting about 3:30 Thursday morning in the 1500 block of North Marque Ann Drive where they found a black male lying in a parking lot who had been shot.
Thursday, September 02, 2010 7:55 PM
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