You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.In a decision that has not yet been made public, Republican leaders of the Louisiana Legislature are forcing out a well-respected legislative staffer whose office recently produced an independent cost estimate that angered powerful lawmakers.Senate President Page Cortez and House Speaker Clay Schexnayder met Friday with John Carpenter, the legislative fiscal officer, and told him his tenure would end when the special legislative session wraps up at the end of the month, Carpenter confirmed.The move raises the...…You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.In a decision that has not yet been made public, Republican leaders of the Louisiana Legislature are forcing out a well-respected legislative staffer whose office recently produced an independent cost estimate that angered powerful lawmakers.Senate President Page Cortez and House Speaker Clay Schexnayder met Friday with John Carpenter, the legislative fiscal officer, and told him his tenure would end when the special legislative session wraps up at the end of the month, Carpenter confirmed.The move raises the...WW…

You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.Sen. Sharon Hewitt, R-Slidell, standing right, checks on pending legislation in the Senate Chamber as legislators do or don't mask up during the session Monday June 1, 2020, in Baton Rouge, La.Sen. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, comments on legislation at the lectern in the Senate Chamber Monday June 1, 2020, at the State Capitol in Baton Rouge, La.Rep. Francis Thompson, D-Delhi, right, sits tight wearing his mask as the House of Representatives wait for bills to come back for conference committees to vote on them...…You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.Sen. Sharon Hewitt, R-Slidell, standing right, checks on pending legislation in the Senate Chamber as legislators do or don't mask up during the session Monday June 1, 2020, in Baton Rouge, La.Sen. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, comments on legislation at the lectern in the Senate Chamber Monday June 1, 2020, at the State Capitol in Baton Rouge, La.Rep. Francis Thompson, D-Delhi, right, sits tight wearing his mask as the House of Representatives wait for bills to come back for conference committees to vote on them...WW…

You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.Reading all the notices on how to apply for unemployment posted on the front entrance to the Louisiana Workforce Commission office on Airline Drive in Metairie on Thursday, April 2, 2020. The coronavirus has created record unemployment in the country. The service has asked people to call or go online for assistance.The coronavirus outbreak has triggered a stunning collapse in the U.S. workforce, and economists warn unemployment could reach levels not seen since the Depression, as the economic damage from the crisis...…You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.Reading all the notices on how to apply for unemployment posted on the front entrance to the Louisiana Workforce Commission office on Airline Drive in Metairie on Thursday, April 2, 2020. The coronavirus has created record unemployment in the country. The service has asked people to call or go online for assistance.The coronavirus outbreak has triggered a stunning collapse in the U.S. workforce, and economists warn unemployment could reach levels not seen since the Depression, as the economic damage from the crisis...WW…

You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.The new Paycheck Protection Program recently passed by Congress has been a godsend for Bob Sternhell and his 18 employees.Sternhell qualified for an $181,000 loan through the federal program, which provides forgivable loans to small companies that agree to keep their workers on the payroll for 8 weeks. That's just enough breathing room to ensure the company’s continued operations for at least the next six months, he said.“That gave everybody security,” said Sternhell, who owns Solutient, a New Orleans company that...…You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.The new Paycheck Protection Program recently passed by Congress has been a godsend for Bob Sternhell and his 18 employees.Sternhell qualified for an $181,000 loan through the federal program, which provides forgivable loans to small companies that agree to keep their workers on the payroll for 8 weeks. That's just enough breathing room to ensure the company’s continued operations for at least the next six months, he said.“That gave everybody security,” said Sternhell, who owns Solutient, a New Orleans company that...WW…

You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.Laid-off employees and their employers are both facing a potential Catch-22 because of two separate provisions in the $2.2 trillion CARES Act passed by Congress to keep the -economy alive.The problem is that many small companies are now receiving federal dollars to rehire their laid-off employees under one provision of the CARES Act, yet low-wage workers may find that, thanks to a different provision, they are bringing in more money while jobless than they would by returning to workIf Louisiana employers report that...…You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.Laid-off employees and their employers are both facing a potential Catch-22 because of two separate provisions in the $2.2 trillion CARES Act passed by Congress to keep the -economy alive.The problem is that many small companies are now receiving federal dollars to rehire their laid-off employees under one provision of the CARES Act, yet low-wage workers may find that, thanks to a different provision, they are bringing in more money while jobless than they would by returning to workIf Louisiana employers report that...WW…

You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.The steady push to expand gambling in Louisiana continued Tuesday when a state Senate committee approved two measures that would give voters the right to legalize betting on college and professional sports.The Senate Judiciary B Committee also approved a bill that would eliminate the tax that casinos pay on freebies they give to gamblers.“If we will remove this tax, I believe it will increase revenue,” said state Sen. Barrow Peacock, R-Bossier City, the sponsor of the measure, , which had been amended from its...…You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.The steady push to expand gambling in Louisiana continued Tuesday when a state Senate committee approved two measures that would give voters the right to legalize betting on college and professional sports.The Senate Judiciary B Committee also approved a bill that would eliminate the tax that casinos pay on freebies they give to gamblers.“If we will remove this tax, I believe it will increase revenue,” said state Sen. Barrow Peacock, R-Bossier City, the sponsor of the measure, , which had been amended from its...WW…

You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.In March 2019, state Sen. Karen Carter Peterson was forced to acknowledge publicly that she was a gambling addict after she violated a state gambling board rule that she not enter Louisiana’s casinos.On Monday, in an extraordinary power play, Peterson ousted the highly regarded chairman of the gambling board, Ronnie Jones, during a private session of the Louisiana Senate where senators could exercise a little-known authority to veto appointees of Gov. John Bel Edwards and other statewide elected officials to dozens...…You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.In March 2019, state Sen. Karen Carter Peterson was forced to acknowledge publicly that she was a gambling addict after she violated a state gambling board rule that she not enter Louisiana’s casinos.On Monday, in an extraordinary power play, Peterson ousted the highly regarded chairman of the gambling board, Ronnie Jones, during a private session of the Louisiana Senate where senators could exercise a little-known authority to veto appointees of Gov. John Bel Edwards and other statewide elected officials to dozens...WW…