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—The final session push: The House and Senate are done for the week but will return for a busy Sunday. Meetings of the House Transportation and Appropriations committees that were slated for Friday were canceled, though both will meet Sunday alongside other legislative panels. Sine die, or the official end of the session, is Thursday.
—Kennedy addresses student suicide: U.S. Sen. John Kennedy has reintroduced bipartisan legislation that would require colleges and universities to provide the contact information for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Crisis Text Line and a campus mental health center on student identification cards. U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., is the lead Senate co-sponsor, while companion legislation has been filed in the House. “Young Americans are dealing with historic mental health challenges and often aren’t sure where they can turn for help,” Kennedy says.
— Cassidy collects endorsement: Grant Parish Sheriff Steven McCain has endorsed U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy’s reelection bid. “Sen. Cassidy has always been willing to help Grant Parish,” McCain says. “Every time that I have brought a concern to him, he has always listened, offered solutions and delivered results.”
—Overlooked workforce strides: Asked last week for a policy issue that’s flying under the radar as the regular session concludes, Daniel Erspamer, CEO of the Pelican Institute for Public Policy, pointed to workforce-related strides. He praised the efforts of Gov. Jeff Landry, Workforce Commission Secretary Susie Schowen, DCFS Secretary David Matlock and state Reps. Stephanie Berault and Kim Carver—among many others—to streamline workforce and safety net programs into “One Door.” While there’s still a great deal of work to be done, Erspamer calls it the most significant advancement in meaningful anti-poverty efforts in a generation.
“It’s a simple concept—that individuals who qualify for government assistance programs should be treated as whole people, that our web of programs should work together toward a measurable positive outcome for the recipient and that programs should point toward meaningful work and opportunity,” Erspamer says.
—They said it: “I feel like I’ve lived four lifetimes since this session started.” –State Rep. John Wyble, speaking this week from the House floor of the Louisiana Legislature, which has just one week remaining in its regular session
