Free Republic

Blanco: Lawmakers upset pet projects cut By JOHN LaPLANTE jlaplante@theadvocate.com Capitol editor Gov. Kathleen Blanco says black lawmakers are suing her because they are upset about losing $6 million allotted to their pet projects. "That's a very small amount of money compared to the whole problem," Blanco said when asked about the lawsuit, which seeks to void budget cuts that close about half of a $1 billion state budget hole. "Everybody is giving up a lot" in the aftermath of two devastating hurricanes, Blanco told reporters. Before the storms, Blanco enjoyed good relations with black lawmakers and allowed them to...

Same-sex proposal falls short in Senate By MARSHA SHULER mshuler@theadvocate.com Capitol news bureau A proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages in Louisiana fell one vote shy of passage Wednesday in the state Senate.Six senators were missing in action for the vote. Proponents said the loss was a setback but they expect to win Senate passage when the legislation comes up for another vote later. Some pro-amendment senators were absent Wednesday. The Senate voted 25 to 8. But 26 yeas -- a two-thirds majority of the 39-member body --- is required to pass any proposed constitutional amendment. If the measure passes...

<p>BATON ROUGE - Louisiana Senate Secretary Mike Baer made a racially offensive remark on live television election night Saturday.</p> <p>But black senators said they would not ask for his resignation. And WAFB-TV apologized to its viewers throughout Monday.</p> <p>Baer, who is elected by senators as the state Senate's chief administrative officer, also apologized.</p>