LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) -More hearings are expected on how the state managed the covid pandemic in 2020.  One of the big issues at the house committee is whether citizens need to be better informed on shots or medications allowed during an emergency.

Even after two days of hearings the House Committee on Homeland Security committee members feel more meetings are needed to evaluate how the state handled the covid pandemic in Louisiana.  

Some committee members want to assure that doctors feel free to speak and act independently without fear of it jeopardizing their livelihood.  

Representative Chuck Owens, R-Rosepine, says some doctors were afraid to appear before the committee in September.

“These people didn’t break any laws, they just did thing the Department of Health wasn’t recommending. Some of these private hospitals and the state were really going after these physicians. And one of them from Monroe, bob Calhoun’s testimony, he treated over four hundred covid patients and did not lose one,” said Owen.

Though he says no licenses were revoked, Owen says some doctors were fired from private hospitals for refusing to take the vaccine and refusing to wear masks.

He says another big concern is whether citizens gave informed consent for vaccines and some treatments.  

“The dirty secret is that these vaccines were rushed out. They were not appropriately tried or analyzed. They were still under emergency use authorization which has a monitor of its own as far as what’s supposed to be done. When you’re given an emergency use authorization you’re supposed to be given informed consent, and we didn’t do that on anyone in Louisiana,” said Owen. Owen says the committee also wants to look into how the pandemic affected schools and education,” said Owen.

He says there are many more questions they want answered even if they need to call back former health department employees from John Bel Edwards’ administration.

Owen says they also want to find out more information about those who died after getting a Covid shot.  He says they have a litany of questions.  No date has been set yet for the hearings.

Copyright 2024 KPLC. All rights reserved.

The Louisiana State Treasurer’s Office currently holds over $900 million worth of unclaimed funds for current and former Louisiana residents.

Louisiana’s Department of Treasury set a record this year by returning $70.6 million worth in unclaimed property to over 160,000 Louisiana residents.

One in six Louisiana residents are said to have unclaimed property.

How to find out if you have unclaimed property in Louisiana:

Unclaimed property is comprised of abandoned financial assets, such as account balances, outstanding checks and other financial instruments, that are held at corporations, financial institutions, life insurance companies and other various institutions.

Unpaid life insurance benefits, forgotten bank accounts, uncashed payroll checks, stock dividends and utility deposit refunds are common types of unclaimed property. Real Estate and vehicles are not considered unclaimed property.

In Louisiana, the average amount of a check issued from unclaimed property is $900, however, some parishes have more unclaimed property than others. To receive a check for unclaimed property, a claim must be filed on the official Louisiana Unclaimed Property website.

The first step to claiming property is to search for the property on Louisiana’s Unclaimed Property website, by entering a name, or name of a business, then one will be able to see search results and find properties. Once the property is found, continue to file a claim and begin the claiming process.

In the claiming process, select the relationship to each property and then enter required personal information. After submitting the claim, the claims office will send an email with further instruction. After completing the necessary steps, one can track the claim’s progress online.

How does Louisiana treasury unclaimed money work?

When checks remain un-cashed, or accounts go dormant, and companies are unable to contact the owner, the funds are transferred to the Treasurer’s Office for safekeeping.

The Treasurer’s Office acts as the vault for the state, holding lost funds until they are claimed by either the original owners, heirs or legal representatives. The Treasurer’s Office holds these funds until they are claimed, no matter the amount of time that has passed.

Each year, businesses render millions of dollars in unclaimed cash, stocks, bonds, securities and insurance proceeds to the Department of Treasury. These unclaimed property funds may be lost through the course of business, typically caused by a bad address. The state’s Department of Treasury is legally required to preserve funds in safekeeping, despite how long it may take for the rightful owner to come forward.

The institution holding potential unclaimed property will initiate contact with the owner and establish activity through online login, written correspondence, withdrawal, deposit or update to personal information. If activity is not produced, the assets are reported to the state of the owner’s last know address.

Laws regarding unclaimed property began in the U.S. as a consumer protection program. Now, these laws have evolved to protect not only the property owners, but their heirs and estates as well.

Once the state is given custody of property, and it enters the unclaimed property program, efforts to reach the property’s rightful recipient begin via mailings, social media, advertisements and local media coverage. Individuals can claim their property for themselves, their businesses or as an heir.

In 2018, the Department of Treasury partnered with the Louisiana Department of Revenue in order to pass legislation that allows the departments’ agencies to share databases. This allowed the Department of Treasury to increase the number of checks issued by nearly 500% and decreased the administrative cost of issuing each check by 80%.

Data Skrive

On Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET, Tru Edwards and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (2-3) will take on the New Mexico State Aggies (1-5).

The matchup featuring the Bulldogs and Aggies will be available on ESPNU.

Keep up with college football all season on FOX Sports.

Learn more about the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and the New Mexico State Aggies.

How to Watch Louisiana Tech vs. New Mexico State

• When: Tuesday, October 15, 2024 at 9 p.m. ET
• Location: Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces, New Mexico
• Live Box Score: FOX Sports

Read More About This Game

• Louisiana Tech vs. New Mexico State Predictions

Louisiana Tech’s 2024 Schedule

Louisiana Tech 2024 Stats & Insights

• Louisiana Tech sports the 86th-ranked offense this year (368.4 yards per game), and has been even more effective defensively, ranking 23rd-best with only 306.8 yards allowed per game.
• Louisiana Tech ranks 40th in pass offense (260.4 passing yards per game) and 65th in pass defense (213.8 passing yards allowed per game) this year.
• The Bulldogs are compiling 24.6 points per game on offense (94th in the FBS), and they rank 49th on the other side of the ball with 21.6 points allowed per game.
• The Bulldogs sport the 13th-best run defense this season (93 rushing yards allowed per game), but they rank 20th-worst on the offensive side of the ball (108 rushing yards per game).
• Louisiana Tech is putting up a 44.7% third-down conversion rate on offense, which ranks them 38th in the FBS. Defensively, the defense ranks 51st, allowing a 35.7% third-down percentage.
• With five forced turnovers (110th in the FBS) against 12 turnovers committed (117th in the FBS), the Bulldogs’ -7 turnover margin is the 12th-worst in college football.

Louisiana Tech 2024 Key Players

New Mexico State’s 2024 Schedule

New Mexico State 2024 Stats & Insights

• New Mexico State has struggled on both sides of the ball this season, ranking seventh-worst in total offense (278.2 total yards per game) and ninth-worst in total defense (473.5 total yards allowed per game).
• New Mexico State ranks third-worst in passing yards per game (114.3), but it has been better on the defensive side of the ball, ranking 82nd in the FBS with 223.5 passing yards allowed per contest.
• This season has been hard for the Aggies on both offense and defense, as they are averaging just 18.5 points per game (14th-worst) and surrendering 38.2 points per game (eighth-worst).
• The Aggies have been struggling against the run, ranking fourth-worst with 250 rushing yards given up per game. They have been more effective on the other side of the ball, regstering 163.8 rushing yards per contest (65th-ranked).
• New Mexico State ranks 14th-worst in third-down conversion percentage (31.5%), but it has been better defensively, ranking 80th in the FBS with a 39.5% third-down rate allowed.
• The Aggies own a bottom-25 turnover margin this season, 10th-worst at -8.

New Mexico State 2024 Key Players

FOX Sports created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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