Books and bullets: A House committee has approved a bill to allow concealed firearms on college campuses in Louisiana. The bill by Rep. Ernest Wooton, a Belle Chasse Republican, would allow holders of concealed firearm permits to have their weapons on campuses, areas that are now so-called “gun-free zones.” The Criminal Justice Committee voted 9-6 to send the measure to the full House. Wooton sponsored a similar bill last year, but pulled it in the face of heavy opposition from officials at LSU and other universities.
Of man and monsters: Combining human and animal cells to create what are sometimes called “human-animal hybrids” would be a crime in Louisiana, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, under legislation approved by a state Senate panel. Scientific researchers in some areas have tried to create human embryonic stem cells, which scientists say could be used to develop treatment for a variety of human ailments, by placing human DNA into animal cells. But such practices are controversial for a number of reasons. Sen. Danny Martiny’s bill, approved without objection by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was designed to outlaw such practices. It defines and criminalizes various ways of making human-animal hybrids, including combining human sperm and an animal egg, combining animal sperm with a human egg, and the use of human brain tissue or neural tissue to develop a human brain in an animal. The bill by Martiny, R-Kenner, goes next to the full Senate.
Test free: A panel of lawmakers has narrowly rejected a controversial proposal that would mandate drug testing for certain welfare recipients. The House Health and Welfare Committee voted 8-7 against the proposal. Republican Rep. John LaBruzzo made changes to the bill that he hoped would make it more palatable, including limiting who would be subject to the testing and requiring any savings to go to increased drug treatment programs. But opponents said it was unfair to target one group as though they had more prevalent drug problems than others who receive state assistance. They said if LaBruzzo wanted to drug test, he should include anyone who gets taxpayer money.
