Collection:LPB

Genre: Newsmagazine

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

Copyright Holder: Louisiana Educational Television Authority

Date Issued: 1985-06-05

Duration: 00:27:30

Subjects: Louisiana Legislative Session, 1985 | Prevailing wage | Construction projects | Labor | Business | Politics | Government | Louisiana. Legislature

Contributors:

• Johnson, Ken Host
• Myers, Laura Reporter
• Reilly, Kevin, Sr. Speaker
• Delpit, Joe Speaker
• Jackson, Johnny Speaker
• Flory, Gordon Speaker
• Jumonville, J.E. Interviewee
• Hakes, Pat Speaker
• Henderson, Russell Interviewee
• Norton, Pat Interviewee
• DeBrueys, Warren Speaker
• Bajoie, Diana Speaker
• Narcisse, Lawrence Interviewee
• Landry, Ron Interviewee
• Ryan, Earl Interviewee

This episode of the series “Louisiana: The State We’re In” from June 5, 1985, features Ken Johnson hosting a daily legislative report on the 1985 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature. Laura Myers first reports on the House approving a bill repealing the prevailing wage law, which impacts the wages paid to construction workers for state projects. Her report includes speeches by State Representatives Kevin Reilly, Joe Delpit, and Johnny Jackson. Johnson then reports on the day’s headlines. These stories include: Gordon Flory of the Louisiana AFL-CIO testifying against a bill requiring unemployed workers to prove they are looking for a job before they can receive unemployment compensation benefits; an interview with State Senator J.E. Jumonville on his opposition to a workers’ compensation reform bill; Pat Hakes of the Attorney General’s Office testifying in favor of a bill reforming the state’s timeshare law; an interview with Russell Henderson of the Ecology Center on a bill prohibiting the use of oil and gas injection wells for hazardous waste disposal; an interview with Secretary Pat Norton of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality on her support of a bill prohibiting the discharge of waste from oil and gas activities; Warren DeBrueys of the Metropolitan Crime Commission and State Representative Diana Bajoie debating a bill related to the regulation of charitable bingo games; an interview with Lawrence Narcisse, a lobbyist for the Louisiana Association of Educators, on their support of a school discipline bill creating a pilot program for in-school suspensions; and an interview with State Senator Ron Landry on a bill requiring seatbelts on school buses built after 1986. Lastly, Johnson conducts an in-studio interview with Earl Ryan, the president of the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana (PAR). He discusses the debate over the repeal of the prevailing wage law.