Latest news with #LouisianaBoardofEthics
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Parent reacts to Southside Stadium nearing completion
YOUNGSVILLE, La. (KLFY) — After countless of meetings and campaigns, a Southside High School parent is proud to say the construction of the football stadium is almost complete. Eric David is one of many parents who spearheaded the efforts to get a football stadium built at Southside High School. Now that there is a tangible football field and stands for the crowd to sit in, David is more than excited for the games to come. 'It's definitely a surreal feeling.' David said, 'It's definitely a surreal feeling. I guess I'd be lying if I said I thought this day would finally come.' David, along with many other Southside parents, traveled with their football team for 8 seasons as they also campaigned for the stadium to be built. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Louisiana Board of Ethics decides on LPSS board member's request While attending school board meetings, creating a social media group, even pitching a sales tax for the school zone to fund the stadium, David reflected on the years spent fighting for the field. 'Kind of feeling helpless.' David said. 'And not knowing, not understanding why other people couldn't see the need as much as the parents and the students and faculty here.' That need would finally be met in February of last year when the school board announced funding would be allocated to build the stadium. With the construction nearly complete, David said he's excited to see the benefit it brings to local businesses and to the home field pride at Southside. 'And that's what I kind of hoped would happen, that this can be a Friday night place where community can gather and root on our team.' David said. 'A lot of thanks to Lafayette Parish and our superintendent, our board members to finally doing the right thing. And they put the work in the research and the work into to finally get a stadium on Southside campus.' Although his kids have now graduated from Southside High School, David said there are still plans for his family to be in those stands on Friday nights. Momentum builds for revitalizing Bertrand Drive in Lafayette Senate GOP seeks to cut SALT cap, triggering fight with House An Active Weather Pattern Will Continue Through the Weekend… Thief steals new weed eater from veterans, police officer speaks out What to know about the new 'Nimbus' COVID variant Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Whistleblower tips to Louisiana ethics board will remain confidential
The Louisiana State Capitol. (Julie O'Donoghue/Louisiana Illuminator) An effort to eliminate confidentiality for people who provide tips to the Louisiana Board of Ethics over government misconduct has failed. Louisiana Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, said House Bill 160 won't come up for consideration after it missed a crucial deadline for an initial vote in the Senate chamber Monday. 'There weren't the votes' to pass the proposal, Rep. Kellee Hennessey Dickerson, R-Denham Springs, who sponsored the legislation, said in an interview Monday night. The bill would have required the ethics board to reveal the name of a person who provides a tip about alleged wrongdoing to whoever the person accuses of misconduct. Currently, the ethics board never shares a tipster's identity with the target of the investigation. The proposal would also have required ethics board tips to be either signed by a notary or delivered in person to the ethics board staff at their office in downtown Baton Rouge. The board enforces the state's ethics and campaign finance laws for elected officials, public employees, lobbyists and government contractors. On Friday, board members sent a letter to senators encouraging them to vote against the legislation, saying it would have a chilling effect on the public's willingness to provide the board information. Dickerson described the ethics board's letter as 'harassing' and said it helped kill the bill. 'I guess people fear the retaliation of the ethics board being against it,' she said. Dickerson drafted the legislation in response to her own experience with the ethics board. In 2023, the board fined her $1,500 when she was a member of the Livingston Parish School Board and running for state representative. The ethics board concluded she had broken state ethics laws by inappropriately helping a public school teacher get a construction contract at the high school where the teacher was employed. Before Dickerson's bill stalled, lawmakers had already approved another piece of legislation that creates new barriers for bringing charges over an ethics violation. A large share of the board will need to vote in favor of launching an ethics investigation, and the deadline for bringing charges will be more difficult to meet, under House Bill 674 by Rep. Beau Beaullieu, R-New Iberia. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Louisiana ethics board wants state Senate to reject bill that lifts complaint confidentiality
The Louisiana Board of Ethics is pushing back against legislation that would eliminate confidentiality for people for provide tips about misconduct. (Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator). The Louisiana Board of Ethics expressed alarm Friday that the Louisiana Legislature is just one vote away from eliminating confidentiality for people who provide tips about government misconduct. 'This is all just abusive. It's just trying to dissuade someone from filing a complaint,' said retired attorney William Grimley, a Louisiana Senate appointee to the ethics board since 2022, about House Bill 160 sponsored by Rep. Kellee Hennessy Dickerson, R-Denham Springs. Other members of the 15-person board nodded in agreement with Grimley. As a last-minute effort to stop the legislation, they instructed their staff to send a letter from the board expressing their concerns about the bill. The board members also said they intended to personally contact their own senators and Gov. Jeff Landry's office to warn about the legislation. 'I think it will have a drastic chilling effect on the number of complaints you receive,' Ethics Administrator David Bordelon told board members. 'We often receive complaints that are asking not to be disclosed because there's some sort of relationship or some sort of fear of retaliation.' Under the bill, investigations into ethics law violations would still be kept private and shielded from the public unless the board votes to bring charges. But the name of a person who provides a tip about alleged wrongdoing would be revealed to whoever they accused of misconduct. Currently, the identity of someone providing a tip to the ethics board is never shared with the target of an investigation. Dickerson said she is bringing the bill to protect government officials from political retaliation similar to what she experienced personally. In 2023, the ethics board voted to fine Dickerson $1,500 when she was a member of the Livingston Parish School Board and running for state representative. The members concluded she had broken state ethics laws by inappropriately helping a public school teacher get paid for doing construction work at the high school where the teacher was employed. State law doesn't allow public employees to perform contract work for their employers. 'I believe this is a fight for truth and justice and to give you the knowledge to know who is fighting against you,' Dickerson said of her legislation. Her bill would likely encourage 'witness tampering and documents not being provided,' Bordelon said. The tipster might experience harassment and intimidation from the subject of the investigation even before the probe gets underway, he added. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Dickerson said she has guarded against intimidation in her bill by allowing any tipsters to sue the accused for damages if they experience harassment. Critics of the legislation said those lawsuits would be expensive and not financially feasible for many members of the public. The ethics administrator also reiterated that the board – not the person providing the tip – decides whether to charge someone with ethical misconduct. Even if the person who submitted the complaint to the board is politically motivated, the board is not. 'It's the board that is the accuser,' Bordelon told members. 'You make your decision based on the facts and the evidence that we present to you as staff.' Dickerson included another barrier to ethics investigations the board found troubling. It requires people submitting tips to the board to either have them signed by a notary, which costs money, or to deliver them personally to state ethics administration headquarters in downtown Baton Rouge. Currently, the public can submit tips via mail and sometimes electronically. 'Imagine somebody in Grand Isle complaining about their local councilman. They would have to either pay a notary to notarize a statement … or drive to Baton Rouge and file it with us in person here,' Bordelon said. Dickerson also wants to limit materials the ethics board can use to launch an investigation to just tips from the public and reports from state officials. The board has no existing limits on the sources it can use to launch an investigation. For example, it undertook 18 investigations from 2020-23 based on news reports that resulted in a discovery of wrongdoing. Under the bill from Dickerson, a former broadcast journalist, they would no longer be able to use a news story as the basis for an inquiry. This year, Landry and legislative leaders have gotten behind a few bills that would dramatically curb the ethics board's authority to pursue investigations. Lawmakers said the effort is a response to overzealous enforcement by the ethics board that crossed the line into harassment. Still, it's not clear whether Landry supports Dickerson's legislation. His staff hasn't endorsed it during public hearings like they have other ethics bills. Recent ethics board appointees from Landry and lawmakers are also among those worried about Dickerson's bill. 'I would love for 100% compliance and to put us out of business. But you know, that's not happening,' said Jason Amato, a former St. James Parish Council member who Landry picked to lead the ethics board earlier this year. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE 'I'd love to be able to cancel our monthly meeting because we didn't have any items on the agenda. But I'm only six months in, and that isn't happening anytime soon,' he added. Lawmakers have until Thursday to decide whether to send Dickerson's proposal to Gov. Jeff Landry's desk to be signed into law. The House voted 88-7 for the bill last month, and it is scheduled for Senate debate Sunday.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Louisiana Board of Ethics decides on LPSS board member's request
LAFAYETTE, La (KLFY) — Back in March, Lafayette Parish School Board Member Jeremy Hidalgo requested a formal opinion from the Louisiana Board of Ethics. This is regarding his position on the school board and his business partnerships with vendors. News 10 was present during the board's decision. The Louisiana Board of Ethics decided to prohibit LPSS Board Member, Jeremy Hidalgo, from soliciting and receiving sponsorships from vendors seeking to partner with his local business, if they work for or provide goods and services to LPSS. Hidalgo owns a local bar that hosts a customer appreciation night once a month where other businesses partner with him to provide free meals for attendees. In a letter to the board, Hidalgo indicates that the businesses he partners with gain exposure as sponsors because they volunteer to cook meals and provide a limited bar tab during the events. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now In that same letter, he also indicates being approached by business owners who supply goods or services to LPSS and are interested in sponsoring a meal and tab at his bar. With a Louisiana law prohibiting public officials from accepting gifts, money, or anything of value directly or indirectly if the person is doing business with their agency, an advisory opinion was proposed to prohibit Hidalgo from receiving sponsorships from any vendor that has a relationship with LPSS. It was also recommended to adopt that proposal to which the board of ethics approved staff recommendations. News 10 contacted LPSS and Hidalgo for comment on the board's decision but has not heard back as of news time. As this story develops, updates will be posted here. Supreme Court turns away RNC challenge to Pennsylvania ballot ruling Cecilia family recounts losing home and cherished memories in fire Some Republicans hope Trump, Musk mend fences after blistering breakup 90 Plus: Myrtle Toups Clement Louisiana Board of Ethics decides on LPSS board member's request Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Louisiana lawmakers weigh shielding their personal information from disclosure
The Louisiana Board of Ethics has hired a new ethics administrator on a temporary basis after facing pushback from state lawmakers. (Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator). The Louisiana Senate approved last-minute amendments to a bill that would shield the personal information of state lawmakers, statewide elected officials and public service commissioners from being shared with the public. In its original state, House Bill 681 by Rep. Marcus Bryant, D-New Iberia, would have added retired district attorneys, assistant district attorneys and district attorney investigators to an existing law that shields certain personal information of 'protected individuals' from public disclosure. Existing law currently only lists judges, retired judges, current and retired judicial commissioners and hearing officers as protected individuals. Bryant's bill passed the Senate as amended on a unanimous vote and has to return to the House for approval of those changes. The bill is scheduled for a final vote Wednesday. Tacking on the amendments with no opportunity for public input is troubling to government watchdogs. 'While it's reasonable to protect certain sensitive information about elected officials, quietly adding these provisions to a bill about district attorneys and other judicial officers, without public debate, is not the right way to do it,' Steven Procopio, president of the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, said in an emailed comment. 'Especially when the law threatens violators with jail time' The law shields home addresses, phone numbers, personal email address, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, federal tax identification numbers, bank account numbers, credit or debit card numbers, license plate numbers, marital records and date of birth. An official's church, the school or daycare of their child attends and the employment location of their spouse, children or dependents would also be shielded. The existing law creates a process for protected individuals to have their personal information taken down from public view and allows for them to sue if their request is not followed. Violators can be charged with a misdemeanor and could face jail time. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
