BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The House has backed a bill that would allow Louisiana’s public schools to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa on campus.
Representatives unanimously supported the proposal by Rep. Alan Seabaugh, R-Shreveport, on Monday.
The bill (House Bill 876), which Seabaugh described as the “Merry Christmas bill,” would allow schools to use decorations and greetings to celebrate traditional winter holidays, provided more than one religion is represented or one religion and a secular view of the season.
Rep. Kenny Cox, D-Natchitoches, spoke to support the bill, saying he believes students and staff should be able to say Merry Christmas.
Seabaugh said while someone could challenge the measure, they would lose since the Supreme Court has ruled similar measures are constitutional.
The bill will move next to the Senate.
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The House agreed Monday to make an exception to the state sanitary code for certain homemade goods, like pies and candies.
Representatives unanimously passed the measure by Rep. Scott Simon, R-Abita Springs.
The proposal (House Bill 1270) would extend the exception to the sanitary code to small, homemade businesses selling “low-risk foods,” including baked goods, candies, dried mixes, honey, jams, sauces, syrups and spices, provided the foods have no meat or fish protein.
Rep. Stephen Ortego, D-Carencro, said while he agrees with the bill, he worried about the risk of consuming homemade goods. Simon said the proposal addresses that risk by requiring businesses to carry a label stating the product was not made in a regulated facility.
The bill would also require businesses to obtain a sales tax certificate from a local tax authority or the Louisiana Department of Revenue.
The measure will move to the Senate for consideration.
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Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, the state’s chief tourism official, said he opposes legislation that would increase New Orleans’ hotel/motel tax, saying it could dissuade people from visiting the city.
Rep. Jared Brossett, D-New Orleans, has proposed a bill (House Bill 1083) that would allow the city to add another 1.75 percent tax, if local voters approved the tax hike.
Tourists pay a 13 percent tax rate on hotel stays in the city. Dardenne said with the increase, the tax rate would be double what is charged by Orlando and Las Vegas. He said New Orleans and New York City would be tied for the highest hotel/motel tax rate in the country.
Dardenne said that type of rate could drive conventions away, hinder the city’s chances to get the 2018 Super Bowl and damage efforts to attract the college football playoff game.
“It’s a crippling blow as far as I’m concerned to tourism and to New Orleans,” he said.
The tax proposal is supported by New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, a former lieutenant governor, as a way to help close budget gaps in the city.
Brossett’s bill awaits a hearing in a House municipal committee.
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A move to eliminate unnecessary judgeships in Louisiana received the unanimous backing Monday of the state Senate.
The constitutional amendment proposal (Senate Bill 216) would let the Louisiana Supreme Court decide whether a judgeship needs to be filled when a vacancy occurs.
The court could reallocate the judgeship to another area if that parish is determined to need more judges, it could remove the judgeship or it could allow it to be filled, under the bill by Sen. Ed Murray, D-New Orleans.
Murray’s proposal heads next to the House for debate. If approved there, it would need backing from voters in the November statewide election before it could take effect.
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In other legislative action:
-The Senate voted 25-10 to expand the Louisiana Equal Pay for Women Act to cover local government workers. The law protects women working for state agencies against unintentional pay discrimination. The measure (Senate Bill 443) by Sen. Ed Murray, D-New Orleans, heads next to the House for debate.
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Online:
Louisiana Legislature: www.legis.la.gov
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