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Tuesday, January 6, 2009
LEGISLATURE & POLITICS
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After Mayor-President Kip Holden was sworn into office for a second term Monday, he attributed his landslide victory as evidence local voters are tired of the divisive politics of the past.
The state health agency used excess cash — much of it one-time money — to avoid most of the $118 million in spending reductions required under a Jindal administration budget-balancing plan. A dozen jobs at the state’s war veterans homes will be eliminated to reduce costs, Veterans Affairs Secretary Lane Carson said. “The only thing we could cut was those positions,” Carson said. The Louisiana Board of Ethics has given a Baton Rouge law firm the go-ahead to do work for LSU on a proposed deal with Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, which is also a law firm client. NEW ORLEANS — The New Year means new rules for Louisiana judges. Effective Jan. 1, state judges were required to submit finance disclosure reports to the public; lawyers who are not U.S. citizens can now practice in Louisiana; and there is now a $50 cap on food and drink for judges at social functions. Some Louisiana students recently got early Christmas presents from two congressional delegation members: tickets to next month’s presidential inauguration. Mayor-President Kip Holden officially kicks off his second term Monday with inaugural activities that include an interfaith service, an inaugural ceremony and an evening reception in the River Center. In his first year as governor, Bobby Jindal dealt with two hurricanes, sparked speculation about his ambitions and made legislators disclose their finances. Next up: Redesigning the state’s health-care system and grappling with a huge budget shortfall. As usual, Louisiana made national news last year in the most recent Congress. Voters in Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District that encompasses most of New Orleans elected Republican Anh “Joseph” Cao. Cao garnered headlines across the country for not only being the first Vietnamese American in Congress but also defeating 18-year Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. William Jefferson of New Orleans. If you need a friend, get a dog. It’s trench warfare out there pal.” That’s what corporate raider Gordon Gekko told his young protégé in the 1987 movie, “Wall Street,” starring Michael Douglas. Gov. Bobby Jindal is on cable television these days hawking Louisiana products to Louisiana consumers. The public service announcement was organized by Bob Israel and paid for by his Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association. |
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