Photo by Robin MayLegislators will be heading home this afternoon after winding up a light day of work in the Capitol.
The Senate convened at 9 a.m. with only a handful of bills being subject to consideration. After the full Senate adjourns, three Senate committees will meet — Education, Natural Resources and Transportation, Highways and Public Works.
Two House committees are meeting this morning. The Judiciary Committee and the Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs Committee both convened at 9 a.m.
The House will convene at 1 p.m. with only three bills scheduled for debate, according to the House Orders of the Day.
Louisianans for Prison Alternatives, one of the group supporting the Justice Reinvestment Task Force criminal justice reforms, is holding a day for supporters at the Capitol.
Sen. Dan Claitor’s SB16 would provide for the process of providing the possibility of parole for inmates who were sentenced to life in prison while still a juvenile. The bill was on the Senate calendar for consideration today. Claitor asked that the bill not be brought up during the morning’s 40-minute session.
The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that life sentences without benefit of parole for juveniles are unconstitutional. A 2016 ruling by the court also held that the ruling applies retroactively to the states. The court said states could remedy the situation by creating a pathway to parole. Claitor’s bill, which won approval earlier in the week by the Senate Judiciary C committee earlier in the week.
The Restore Louisiana Task Force dealing with the recovery from the floods of 2016 will meet on Friday morning at 9:30 in House Meeting Room 5. The agenda for the meeting will not be released until later today.
The House Appropriations Committee will resume hearings on HB1 on Monday at 9 a.m.
The session must end no later than 6 p.m. on June 8. The legislature is limited to meeting on 45 days in the 60 days between its opening on April 10 and the day of adjournment.