By: Nicole Potter

The Louisiana House of Representatives recently passed a bill to improve the state’s expungement program for cannabis possession convictions. Rep. Delisha Boyd sponsored the bill, which passed with a 69-30 vote. “House Bill 286 is a request for a reduction in expungement fees in first offense marijuana. I’ve worked closely with the DA association, sheriffs, and the clerks, to put this bill in its proper posture,” Boyd said at the hearing on May 23.

The Louisiana House Democratic Caucus recently posted on social media about the bill’s passing as well. “This bill passed the House today and will make it easier for people to get the post-conviction relief and justice they need and deserve. #LaLege #LaGov.”

By: Shannon Heckt

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – A bill that looked to add protections in the workplace for LGBTQ people failed in a House committee Wednesday. Advocates believe it is critical to codify protections into state law, others said it opens up businesses to lawsuits.

The legislature has advanced bills that would limit discussion around gender identity and sexual orientation in schools and also prevent some kids from getting books about the LGBTQ community.

By: Wesley Muller

Republican lawmakers on a state House panel killed a measure that would have established a $10 per hour minimum wage in Louisiana and increased to $14 by 2028.

House Bill 374, sponsored by Rep. Ed Larvadain, D-Alexandria, failed to pass the House Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations in a 5-9 vote along party lines Wednesday.

By: Greg Larose

An attempt to unlink a long-running anti-drug effort for students from a legally questionable funding source failed Thursday in the Louisiana House Judiciary Committee.

More than 40 Louisiana sheriffs staff Drug Abuse Resistance Education programs, or DARE for short, with about 160 deputies, according to the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association. One of DARE’s funding streams comes from a $100 fee placed on defendants found guilty of certain drug offenses in their parishes.

By: Eric Grossman

Whether you’re walking down Bourbon Street or chilling in one of the parks along the Mississippi River, chances are you’re going to encounter cannabis in the Big Easy. After all, New Orleans is a global mecca for having a good time.

But despite the city’s feel-good status, Louisiana weed laws don’t follow that same chilled-out vibe. So before you go lighting up a joint or passing around edibles, be sure to take a moment to learn about the city’s weed laws. It’s a little complicated, so we tapped a handful of experts and wrote up a guide to help you out—here’s everything you need to know about legal weed in New Orleans and Louisiana before your next visit.

By: Tyler Bridges

Louisiana Progress and other progressive groups are facing an uphill battle trying to push an anti-poverty agenda through the Republican-controlled Legislature this year.

The groups note that Louisiana had the second-highest poverty rate in the U.S. in 2021 when the Census Bureau last measured the issue.

By: Wesley Muller

Louisiana Republicans will try for the third year in a row to enact new election laws, including two that Gov. John Bel Edwards previously blocked.

Republican Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin previewed his legislative package for the 2023 regular session, which begins Monday. The bills would provide “election integrity” for Louisiana, according to Ardoin.

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Former Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) Secretary Shawn Wilson has announced he plans to run for governor of Louisiana.

Wilson officially announced his candidacy along with the launch of his campaign website on Monday, March 6.

By: Kaylee Poche

When Colorado and Washington first passed legislation legalizing recreational cannabis in 2012, they were anomalies in a country that at the federal level puts the plant in the same category as heroin.

At the time, conventional wisdom held that legal recreational cannabis would never spread much beyond a handful of states. But with Rhode Island, Maryland and Missouri becoming the most recent of 21 states to legalize recreational cannabis, nearly half of Americans now live in a state where it’s legal.

By: Lauren Cheramie

Since its inception in Baton Rouge in 1968, the YWCA has been dedicated to the same mission: eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. The organization has grown to offer programs like early childcare education, domestic violence services, homelessness assistance and trauma counseling.

"We have evolved from a small entity that was doing the work to empower women on a small scale, but we have grown to now be able to address women’s needs at all phases of their lives," said Dianna Payton, CEO of YWCA Greater Baton Rouge.

By : Casey Quinlan

Of the 20 states that have failed to raise the minimum wage above the federal $7.25 an hour standard, 16 have more than 12% of their children living in poverty, according to a States Newsroom analysis of wage and poverty data. Anti-poverty advocates say that’s a sign that there’s an urgent need for lawmakers to increase the federal minimum wage and do more to help struggling families.

Congress had the opportunity to achieve the latter by expanding the child tax credit before the end of the year, but lawmakers did not arrive at a deal with Republicans to include it in the omnibus spending package. The expansion, which was part of the American Rescue Plan, provided as much as $3,600 in monthly installments to qualifying families and is credited with lifting 3.7 million children out of poverty at least temporarily.

By: Wesley Muller

A state panel has three weeks left to wrap up work on draft legislation to protect workers who use medical marijuana. Before then, members hope to get feedback from a very influential business lobbying group, without which approval of the proposals is unlikely.

Louisiana’s Employment and Medical Marijuana Task Force met Tuesday with a Dec. 21 deadline looming to submit its recommendations to state lawmakers. Kevin Caldwell, who represents the Marijuana Policy Project, said he and other members hope to convene twice more before that deadline.

By: Victor Skinner

A Louisiana legislative task force held multiple meetings on Tuesday to explore and craft recommendations to resolve employment issues concerning medical marijuana.

Three subcommittees of the Employment and Medical Marijuana Task Force convened to discuss a variety of employment issues involving medical marijuana, from employment protections in other states to current testing options, to specific concerns for “safety sensitive” jobs like firefighters and first responders.

By: Victor Skinner

A Louisiana legislative task force held multiple meetings on Tuesday to explore and craft recommendations to resolve employment issues concerning medical marijuana.

Three subcommittees of the Employment and Medical Marijuana Task Force convened on Tuesday to discuss a variety of employment issues involving medical marijuana, from employment protections in other states to current testing options, to specific concerns for "safety sensitive" jobs like firefighters and first responders.

By: Wesley Muller

Despite the relaxation of marijuana laws in Louisiana over the past five years, registered nurses still face serious career risks if they use the drug for recreational or, in some cases, medicinal purposes.

Louisiana’s Employment and Medical Marijuana Task Force heard testimony Tuesday from Shonda Broom, a former nurse who recounted how her off-duty use of cannabis and a single pre-employment drug screen effectively destroyed her 12-year career and permanently labeled her as a criminal.

By: Wesley Muller

With medical marijuana now available to Louisiana’s workforce, employees have raised concerns that they could be fired or face other job-related repercussions for testing positive for a legal drug taken on the advice of a physician. A new state panel is searching for solutions to this potential problem that will protect workers and employers.

Three subcommittees of the Employment and Medical Marijuana Task Force met Tuesday to discuss different aspects of the issue and all arrived at the same question: How strictly can the state regulate the private sector with regards to medical marijuana?

By: Chris Rosato

Now that President Biden has pardoned all marijuana possession charges at the federal level, what will that mean for those sitting with charges by the state of Louisiana?

The much-anticipated move from the White House comes just weeks before the midterm elections. People in Louisiana with those state-level offenses will still need to wait for the state to figure out what the next move will be, according to officials.

By: Aysha Qamar

Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, anti-abortion activists are rallying even more for stricter policies against abortion. While these “pro-life” individuals are spread across the country and range in their description, one trend seems to be common—they are mostly men. For generations, men seem to be making the decisions regarding the reproductive health of all individuals, with abortion being no exception.

Despite several conservatives making headlines for their lack of understanding of reproductive health yet wanting a say in policies impacted by it, two have recently garnered exceptional attention. According to CNN, a businessman turned state representative from Louisiana, alongside a Baptist pastor, have been adamant that a person who receives an abortion should receive the same treatment as one who kills a live infant.

By: April Siese

Late Monday afternoon, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) held a public comment hearing for the government’s proposed five-year offshore oil and gas lease program. The plan calls for 11 additional lease sales: 10 in the Gulf of Mexico and one in Alaska’s Cook Inlet. Though the session was expected to initially last three hours, dozens of participants pushed BOEM officials to extend the comment hearing well past midnight.

The sentiment was nearly unanimous, with countless speakers calling for no new leases, citing climate concerns. Many speakers called on President Joe Biden to uphold his own campaign promise that, had the Interior Department been serious about it, wouldn’t have seen these leases proposed in the first place. Some, like Stone Crab Alliance Founder John Dwyer, even called for the shuttering of existing oil infrastructure. “It is important for our human survival,” Dwyer said.

By: Mark Ballard

Nationally, the number of women registering to vote in the Nov. 8 congressional midterm elections has shot up like a rocket — energized, experts say, by the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent abortion decision.

Louisiana doesn’t seem to be following suit, but Kansas, Ohio, Arizona, Idaho and other conservative strongholds are reporting noticeable increases in female voter registration since the June 24 ruling, according to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and other national news outlets. Battleground states like Pennsylvania and Michigan are showing increases as well.