On the docket: A federal appeals court in New Orleans has scheduled December arguments on a challenge to the health care reform act. In this case, opponents of the act say it is unconstitutional because it imposes a tax—and all tax bills must originate in the House. They contend that the Affordable Care Act originated in the Senate. A federal judge in Texas rejected the lawsuit in January. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has scheduled arguments for Dec. 2. Although the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act in 2012, legal challenges linger. The Associated Press has the full story.
No shelter: Though the data comes from just a single night of canvassing the state’s homeless population, a new report from U.S. Housing and Urban Development says homelessness in Louisiana has declined about 63% since 2010. HUD’s 2014 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress—which is based on a one-night count of homeless persons across the country conducted by volunteers in January—says there are 4,606 homeless people living in Louisiana this year, a decline of nearly 12% from last year. Across the U.S., homelessness is affecting more than 578,000 people this year, a decline of 2% from a year ago. See the complete report.
Coming to terms: Two of the 97 oil and gas companies sued last summer by a New Orleans-area levee board, the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority–East, have settled, according to an emailed statement from the levee board’s attorneys. The companies—White Oak Operating Co. LLC and Chroma Operating Inc., both Houston-based—are two smaller players in the area. The details of the settlement have not been released. The companies have a “relatively limited footprint,” the statement says, adding that “at this early point in the litigation the parties had clear and simple positions.” The case has been stalled while a judge assesses the legality of a measure passed during the last legislative session aimed at preventing the case from moving forward.
