On the double: Louisiana’s littering fines are doubling. Gov. Bobby Jindal’s office announced Wednesday that the governor had signed the fine increase bill by Gonzales Rep. Johnny Berthelot, a Republican. The Associated Press reports fines for simple littering, which are $75 for a first offense and $500 for subsequent offenses, will be $150 and $1,000. Fines for intentional littering, which currently range from $250 to $1,250, will grow to anywhere from $500 to $2,500. Fines for improperly disposing of larger litter, like furniture and appliances, also will double and could reach up to $10,000. The changes take effect Aug. 1. The new money is earmarked to pay down the debt of the retirement system of the law enforcement agency that issues the litter citation.
Action!: Louisiana’s new cap on film tax credits could send more movie business to Georgia and Mississippi, says the Mississippi Film Office’s Gulf Coast project manager. As one of the top film locations outside of California, Georgia is likely to get some of the business that might otherwise have gone to Louisiana, sometimes called “Hollywood South,” Bill Webb tells The Sun Herald. Georgia already has crew, equipment and production facilities, Webb notes. But, he adds, “We should see some additional action.” Louisiana’s new law puts a $180 million annual cap on the amount the state can pay for film tax credits for the next three years. The film industry in the state is reportedly preparing to fight the measure with a lawsuit. Read the full story.
Down and up: U.S. employers added a solid 223,000 jobs in June, and the unemployment rate fell to 5.3%, a seven-year low. But The Associated Press reports wages failed to budge, and other barometers of the job market paint a mixed picture. The unemployment rate fell from 5.5% in May, the Labor Department announced this morning. But the rate fell mostly because many people out of work gave up on their job searches and were no longer counted as unemployed. In addition, the percentage of Americans working or looking for work fell to a 38-year low, a possible sign of more discouraged job seekers. And employers added 60,000 fewer jobs in April and May combined than the government had previously estimated. Read the full story.
Editor’s note: In observance of the Independence Day holiday, the Business Report office will be closed on Friday and Daily Report will not be published. Daily Report will resume publication on Monday, July 6. Have a safe and happy holiday weekend.
