Collection:LPB

Genre: Newsmagazine

Place Covered: Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana

Copyright Holder: Louisiana Educational Television Authority

Date Issued: 1989-06-23

Duration: 00:27:53

Subjects: Louisiana Legislative Session, 1989 | Politics | Government | SALES TAX | Tax reform | Edwards, Edwin W. | Louisiana. Legislature

Contributors:

• Zewe, Charles Host
• Nachman, Karen Reporter
• Jefferson, William Speaker
• Lynch, Bill Speaker
• Forster, Garey Interviewee
• Bussie, Victor Interviewee
• Cody, Wilmer Interviewee
• Capello, Rocky Interviewee
• Smith, Lisa M. Interviewee
• Bradley, Allen Interviewee
• Rayburn, B.B. "Sixty" Interviewee
• Roemer, Buddy Interviewee
• DeJean, Kenneth Interviewee
• Drennen, Mark Interviewee
• Edwards, Edwin Interviewee

This episode of the series “Louisiana: The State We’re In” from June 23, 1989, features Charles Zewe and Karen Nachman reporting on the tenth week of the 1989 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature. Zewe first reports on the week’s headlines, including: State Senator William Jefferson and Inspector General Bill Lynch testifying on a bill related to the operation of the Inspector General’s Office; interviews with State Representative Garey Forster and Victor Bussie of the AFL-CIO on a bill reducing workers’ compensation benefits; an interview with Dr. Wilmer Cody, the state superintendent of education, on the efforts to reach a compromise on the testing standards for private schools; and interviews with Rocky Capello of Nicholls State and Lisa M. Smith of Southern University during a rally against the proposed cuts to higher education. Next, Nachman reports on the questions about the constitutionality of repealing state sales tax exemptions during a non-fiscal session. She reports that the Attorney General’s office believes that it is constitutional. She interviews: State Representative Allen Bradley; State Senator B.B. “Sixty” Rayburn; Governor Buddy Roemer; and Kenneth DeJean of the Attorney General’s office. Lastly, Zewe conducts an in-studio interview with Mark Drennen, the president of the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana (PAR), and former Governor Edwin Edwards. They debate the future of fiscal reform in Louisiana.