State Rep. Tammy Phelps proposed to establish a minimum wage for workers in Louisiana starting at $12 an hour. (Photo by Cross Harris / LSU Manship School News Service) BATON ROUGE — The House Labor Committee voted 7-5 along party lines to kill a bill that would have established a state minimum wage starting at $12 an hour on Jan. 1, 2027. Republicans voted against the bill; Democrats supported it. The party split was similar to votes in most years since former Gov. John Bel Edwards, a...

State Rep. Gerald “Beau” Beaullieu has proposed mandating the use of a federal citizenship verification program in Louisiana. ( Photo by Cross Harris / LSU Manship School News Service) BATON ROUGE — Though a voting rights advocate cautioned that technology used for voter checks could pose security risks to residents' personal identification information, the House Governmental Affairs Committee voted 9-7 Wednesday to move forward with a bill requiring use of the system. Louisiana election...