Collection:LPB

Genre: Newsmagazine

Place Covered: Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana

Copyright Holder: Louisiana Educational Television Authority

Date Issued: 1984-06-11

Duration: 00:25:50

Subjects: Politics | Government | Louisiana. Legislature | Louisiana Legislative Session, 1984 | Kindergarten | STATE BUDGET | DRINKING AGE | Transportation | Highways

Contributors:

• Courtney, Beth Host
• Johnson, Ken Host
• Toomy, Joe Interviewee
• Reilly, Kevin, Sr. Interviewee
• Steimel, Ed Interviewee
• Lowenthal, Margaret Interviewee
• Wharton, James Speaker
• Thibodeaux, Donald Interviewee
• Baker, Richard Interviewee
• McKeithen, Fox Interviewee

This episode of the series “Louisiana: The State We’re In” from June 11, 1984, features Beth Courtney and Ken Johnson hosting a daily legislative report on the 1984 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature. Johnson first reports on the day’s headlines. These stories include: an interview with State Representative Joe Toomy on a bill requiring mandatory kindergarten for five-year-olds; an interview with State Representative Kevin Reilly, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, on the status of the state budget; an interview with Ed Steimel, the president of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI), on his efforts to defeat the agency shop bill; an interview with State Representative Margaret Lowenthal on her bill raising the minimum drinking age to 21; and LSU Chancellor James Wharton speaking to the Baton Rouge Press Club. Next, Courtney reports on the House Appropriations Committee’s decision to use a portion of the funding dedicated to the highway priority program on drainage and flood control projects. Her report includes an interview with State Representative Donald Thibodeaux. Lastly, Courtney and Johnson conduct an in-studio interview with State Representative Richard Baker and State Representative Fox McKeithen, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. They discuss the future of the highway priority program.