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Louisiana House advances prison-reimbursement rates, drunk driving bills

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Louisiana House advances prison-reimbursement rates, drunk driving bills


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  • A Louisiana bill to increase the daily reimbursement rate for housing state inmates advanced with bipartisan support.
  • The proposed rate would increase from $26.39 to $29.39 per day, starting in the 2027-28 fiscal year.
  • Lawmakers acknowledge the proposed increase is a step forward but still does not cover the full costs for local facilities.
  • A separate bill also advanced, seeking to impose stricter penalties for repeat DWI offenders.

BATON ROUGE — A bill to raise the daily reimbursement rate for housing state inmates advanced with broad bipartisan support Tuesday, as Louisiana lawmakers seek to ease financial pressure on local correctional facilities while acknowledging the increase still falls short of covering true costs.

The House Appropriations Committee also advanced House Bill 82 by Rep. Debbie Villio, R-Kenner, which seeks to impose stricter penalties on individuals convicted of a third or fourth offense for impaired driving.

Penalties include increasing mandatory minimum sentences and raising fines. A person guilty of a third DWI would spend at least five years in prison, while a fourth offense would result in 12 years with no parole or probation.

House Bill 143, the prison-reimbursement bill authored by Rep. Tony Bacala, R-Prairieville, focuses on increasing the per diem rate paid to local correctional facilities that house state inmates. The bill would increase the rate from $26.39 to $29.39 beginning in Fiscal Year 2027-28 and each year after.

The prison-reimbursement bill moved forward with no opposition, signaling widespread agreement among lawmakers that adjustments are overdue.

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The bill carries a fiscal note of approximately $17 million, but Bacala said this would not be entirely new spending. He described the measure as a way to align existing appropriations with statutory requirements, noting that the increase has effectively already been budgeted for Fiscal Year 2026-27.

The discussion around HB 143 centers on the growing role of local correctional facilities, often overseen by parish sheriffs. These facilities have expanded services for inmates in recent years, offering programs such as GED education, technical training and work-release opportunities that allow certain inmates to transition back into the workforce.

Despite these enhancements, reimbursement rates from the state have not kept pace with the rising costs and expanded responsibilities.

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Bacala acknowledged that the proposed increase still does not fully meet the needs of local facilities.

“This bill doesn’t even pay them a fair rate. It just pays them a more fair rate,” he said, highlighting that lawmakers see the measure as a step in the right direction rather than a final solution.

Rep. Alonzo Knox, D-New Orleans, voiced support for the proposal, calling it “more than fair,” while also suggesting that additional increases may be considered in the future as budget conditions allow.



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Louisiana

Winnsboro woman dies in single-vehicle crash on LA Highway 867

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Winnsboro woman dies in single-vehicle crash on LA Highway 867


WINNSBORO, La. (KNOE) – Louisiana State Police say a 79-year-old Winnsboro woman died Tuesday, June 9 after her vehicle crossed the centerline and hit a tree.

LSP says Huff was driving a 2025 Toyota Crown east on Louisiana Highway 867 near Louisiana Highway 868 shortly before 7 p.m. when the crash occurred.

According to authorities, Huff was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, but suffered fatal injuries. She died at the scene. A juvenile front seat passenger, who was also wearing a seatbelt, received minor injuries and was treated at an area hospital.

Impairment is not suspected. Routine toxicology samples were collected and will be submitted for analysis. The crash remains under investigation.

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Louisiana shop owner says inspection sticker law puts 20-year business in danger

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Louisiana shop owner says inspection sticker law puts 20-year business in danger


CENTRAL, La. (WAFB)— A vehicle inspection shop owner said his business of more than 20 years is in danger of closing after a new state law eliminated inspection stickers.

David Norris, who operates a small vehicle inspection shop off Hooper Road in Central, said his business has slowed dramatically since Gov. Jeff Landry signed Representative Terry Bagley’s HB1085 into law a week ago.

“Some days we’ve done 30-35 inspections. Now we’re down to four, five maybe,” Norris said.

Law prohibits citations through end of year

Personal, non-commercial vehicles registered in Louisiana will no longer be required to have a vehicle inspection sticker beginning Jan. 1, 2027, according to Louisiana State Police.

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The law prohibits law enforcement officers from issuing citations for failing to display or produce an inspection sticker between June 30, 2026, and Jan. 1, 2027. Louisiana State Police have immediately stopped issuing citations for inspection sticker violations.

“As with any change in Louisiana law, our focus during this transition period will be on educating motorists about the new requirements, answering questions, and helping the public understand how these changes will affect them moving forward,” state police said in a statement on Tuesday. “Motorists should remember that all other traffic and vehicle equipment laws remain in effect.”

Emissions testing still required in five parishes

Five parishes will still require drivers to take their vehicles in for emissions testing: East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Ascension, Livingston and Iberville.

Emissions tests are a federal requirement in the five-parish area. The requirement is still in effect and enforceable by local law enforcement, according to the governor’s office.

Emissions tests in those five parishes are still able to be conducted at the same private locations as before. This will remain the same until the EPA approves an alternative plan for emissions inspection.

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When asked how local law enforcement will enforce emissions standards, the governor’s office said to ask local law enforcement.

Baton Rouge Police Chief TJ Morse said, “that has not been worked out yet and we are still awaiting guidance.”

Norris questioned how he will run his business with just the $6 take-home he says he gets for each emissions test.

“I don’t know. I don’t know how much longer we can actually make it,” Norris said.

QR code system to begin in 2027

The vehicle identification program will begin Jan. 1, 2027. The Office of Motor Vehicles will send QR codes to drivers with their registrations.

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WAFB asked Rep. Bagley on Tuesday if small businesses like Norris’ are unable to survive due to the changes, does the state bear responsibility.

“I have been working on the effort to eliminate inspection stickers in Louisiana for ten years,” Bagley replied in a written statement. “I’m grateful that the issue was overwhelmingly passed by both houses of the legislature. It was signed into law by Governor Landry. Clearly, the people of Louisiana agree that this is an unnecessary government burden that needed to go.”

State Representative Lauren Ventrella, who represents the district Norris lives in, voted yes for Bagley’s bill.

“Louisiana is moving in the step with the rest of the country and trying to fix the antiquated and outdated process of the inspection stickers,” Ventrella said.

Norris said he likes what he is doing and likes his customers. He fears the change will wipe away his father-son business.

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“What is anybody going to do when your job quits?” Norris said. “How are you gonna pay your bills? Not their problem.”

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Network outage causing OMV closures across Louisiana

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Network outage causing OMV closures across Louisiana


BATON ROUGE (WVUE) — Offices of the Motor Vehicles around the state are experiencing network outages due to connectivity issues related to the installation of new core network equipment.

The Office of Technology Services replaced a legacy piece of hardware on Sunday. While migrating to the new hardware, the old system began to cause issues for the state’s network team. In the fall of 2025, OTS decided to purchase brand-new core network routers and planned on installing them after the 2026 legislative session ended.

“We experienced a similar issue on the last day of the fiscal session last year, so we decided to wait until this year’s session was over before we installed the new hardware,” said Thomas Mule, communications director for OTS. “This weekend we began switching our core network from a 1992 Honda Civic to a 2026 McLaren 750.”

Legacy system failures during migration

On Sunday, the installation of and migration to the new core network began. During the migration, the legacy systems began to fail. When this occurred, the network team paused the migration and addressed the issues. These issues started to manifest in OMV offices across the state.

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“As of now, our new core system is up and running. We are experiencing problems with connectivity to the new system. Our team has been working nonstop since Sunday, and will continue to work until our network is back to 100%,” Mule said.

OTS is prioritizing LSP and OMV connectivity and has made tremendous progress since Sunday. Current office status information can be found at www.expresslane.la.gov.





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