Status of major bills in Legislature

This item lists major bills in the Legislature and the status of each.
— Underage drinking. A bill sent to the governor’s desk this week would remove the possibility that someone under the age of 21 could be jailed up to six months if caught in possession of an alcoholic beverage.
If the governor agrees to the bill, law enforcement could continue to cite offenders, but the citation would not appear on a person’s criminal history record.
— Mandatory sentences: Lawmakers in the Louisiana House have rejected a proposal to require a minimum three-year prison sentence in certain criminal cases, saying it would take too much power away from local judges.
Only 33 House members voted for the proposal to create the mandatory minimum sentence for a list of crimes — including carjacking, armed robbery and manslaughter — if an armed person kills someone. Fifty House lawmakers voted against it Thursday.
— Farm to school: Louisiana lawmakers have sent to the governor’s desk a bill to create a farm-to-school program that encourages locally-grown products in state public school cafeterias.
State education officials and the state agriculture department will develop a program that supports relationships between local farmers and schools. The program will include an inventory of farms across the state and pair the groups to encourage the use of local crops in school nutrition programs.
— Cursive writing: A proposal to require the teaching of cursive writing in Louisiana’s public schools is near final legislative passage, after receiving overwhelming support from the state House.
The House voted 88-1 Thursday for the bill to require students to learn cursive reading and writing by the third grade. The Senate earlier had unanimously supported the proposal. It returns to the chamber for a vote on a House addition to the bill.
— Charter limits: Gov. John Bel Edwards has won one victory in his effort to put more limits on charter schools in Louisiana.
A law enacted in 2012 allows state-approved local groups to authorize the creation of charter schools. The measure from Sen. Dan “Blade” Morrish, a Republican from Jennings, will scrap that provision.
— Seat belt fines: Louisiana lawmakers have agreed to boost the fines against people caught not wearing seat belts in a vehicle.
The bill by Rep. Walt Leger, a New Orleans Democrat, would increase the fine for a first offense from $25 to $50. Violators would pay $75 each additional time.
The proposal now goes to the governor’s desk.
— Ban the box: State agencies would be prohibited from asking job applicants about their criminal histories before interviewing them for a position, under a bill that has received final legislative passage.
A 30-6 Senate vote Wednesday sent the “ban the box” bill to Gov. John Bel Edwards, who supports it and is expected to sign it into law.
— Declaration of Independence: A Denham Springs lawmaker shelved her bill requiring Louisiana public school students to recite the Declaration of Independence daily, under pressure from her African-American colleagues.
Republican Rep. Valarie Hodges pulled her bill from House debate Wednesday before lawmakers could vote on the proposal. The measure would have required public school students in fourth through sixth grade to recite a passage from the document.
Opposing lawmakers questioned whether the requirement would be unfair.
Reps. Barbara Norton, a Shreveport Democrat, and Pat Smith, a Baton Rouge Democrat, told Hodges that children shouldn’t have to recite words written at a time when slavery was prevalent, reading the document was used to bar African-Americans from voting at polling places and equality wasn’t extended to all people.
––The Associated Press