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Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has vetoed a bill that would have allowed people to carry a concealed weapon in the state without taking a training class or obtaining a permit.

Senate Bill 118 had 38 co-sponsors, including three Democrats. It passed the state House, 73-28, and was approved by the state Senate, 27-9. That has fueled speculation legislators could return for a special session for a veto override vote. Such a session would occur July 20-24 and would be the first one since Louisiana’s Constitution was overhauled in 1974.

Edwards, a Democrat, said he believes the state’s current law “strikes the right balance.” Republican governors in neighboring Texas and Mississippi recently approved similar legislation.

Current law requires residents age 21 and older to take a safety course before obtaining a concealed handgun permit. The law also allows residents age 18 and older to openly carry a weapon. Louisiana also is a “shall-issue” state, meaning the government must prove why someone applying for a permit should not get one – such as a felony conviction or history of domestic violence – as opposed to states where applicants must prove why they should receive one.

A person must pass a 60-minute online handgun education course that covers things such as gun-free zones, the use of deadly force and interactions with law enforcement to receive a permit.

“Our current system strikes the right balance of ensuring that people can bear arms while also keeping reasonable permitting and training processes in place,” Edwards said in a statement announcing his veto. “It is not too much to ask that a person who wishes to carry a concealed weapon in public be required to attend basic marksmanship and safety training so they understand the regulations associated with such an action.”

Republican Sen. Jay Morris, the bill’s main sponsor, said he was not surprised, as Edwards made his stance clear throughout the legislative process.

“The people of Louisiana want it and, hopefully, we will join our neighbors, like Texas and Mississippi, and pass constitutional carry with or without the governor’s signature,” he said.

Edwards pointed to a survey by A Stronger Louisiana, a group that supports his agenda, that showed 80% of those polled support the current law.

The bill still would have made permits available, particularly for people wanting one so they could conceal carry in other states that recognize Louisiana’s permit under reciprocity.

Gov. John Bel Edwards and Delta Biofuel CEO Philip Keating announced Monday that the company is evaluating Iberia Parish for a planned $70 million renewable fuel plant, the state government said in a news release. The planned production facility would produce biomass fuel pellets made from residual sugar cane fiber, known as bagasse.

If located in Louisiana, Delta would create 126 new direct jobs with an average salary of $62,500, plus benefits. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project would also result in 149 indirect jobs, for a total 275 new jobs in the Acadiana region. The production facility’s peak construction would generate up to 100 construction jobs.

Delta has secured long-term supplies of feedstock bagasse, which can be processed into biomass fuel pellets and used alongside, or in lieu of, standard industrial wood pellets in power generation. Bagasse fuel pellets are lower cost alternatives to typical wood pellets, and also result in greater reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, or GHGs. European and Asian power and industrial heating plants transitioning away from fossil fuels now use over 25 million metric tons per year of wood pellet biomass, primarily displacing thermal coal as a feedstock. The use of biomass fuel pellets results in a reduction of GHG emissions more than 100 percent versus the use of fossil fuel in these plants. The Jeanerette facility would produce up to 300,000 metric tons of bagasse fuel pellets annually.

“Renewable energy is a key component in reaching environmental protection targets, and Louisiana looks forward to welcoming the latest renewable fuel investment, Delta Biofuel,” said Edwards. “Working in tandem with our sugar mills, Delta plans to turn previously discarded waste into a source of energy. Continued growth in the renewable fuels and renewable energy sectors is prime economic development, as Delta Biofuel’s project would result in 275 new jobs in Acadiana. On behalf of the people of Louisiana, we look forward to this fantastic new project coming to our state.”

The company would source all excess bagasse from four nearby sugar mills in Iberia, St. Mary and St. Martin parishes. Sourcing from these mills allows alternative use of the mills’ unneeded waste. Additionally, Delta has engaged European and Asian energy production facilities for multi-year commitments to purchase the fuel pellets.

“Our bagasse pellet manufacturing plant will provide a sustainable, long-term solution for the sugar mills by utilizing all excess bagasse produced each harvest. This will not only reduce cost and liability for the mills, but will eliminate methane emissions from the discarded bagasse that you can see in huge piles around the state,” Keating said. “These pellets are then delivered to power generation facilities, which produce renewable electricity. We see Louisiana and its sugar industry as a terrific and reliable source of biomass for alternative fuel production.
zWe have been able to collaborate with our partner sugar mills to produce a solution for their needs, while establishing a viable project that can deliver long-term economic impact for the region and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in electricity production. Combine this with the fantastic industrial labor force and the support from the state, and we eventually expect to do even more beyond this initial project.”

The company plans to locate the greenfield facility on 16 acres near U.S. Highway 90 in Jeanerette, near one of its bagasse suppliers, Enterprise Sugar Mill. Groundwork for the new facility would begin September 2021, with completion expected in September 2022. Hiring would begin Spring 2022. Founded in 2019, Delta Biofuel is a wholly-owned start-up within Tasso Renewable Energy.

“Iberia Parish is open for business,” said Iberia Parish President M. Larry Richard. “We are always open to working with developers that wish to come to Iberia Parish. We are excited to hear of the developer’s possible investment and what it could bring to Iberia Parish and its citizens.”

Louisiana Economic Development first began working with the company in December 2020. To secure the pellet plant in Jeanerette, the State of Louisiana offered Delta a competitive incentive package that includes the services of LED FastStart, which the press release described as the No. 1 ranked workforce development program in the nation for the past 11 years. The package also includes a performance-based grant of $1 million as a reimbursement for infrastructure improvement expenditures, subject to the company reaching specified investment and payroll benchmarks. Delta’s planned project is also expected to use the state’s Quality Jobs program and, pending local approval, the Industrial Tax Exemption program.

“This is an exciting development for Iberia Parish,” said Mike Tarantino, President and CEO of Iberia Industrial Development Foundation. “The proposed employment and capital investment, along with the infrastructure improvements that this project would bring will be a great addition to our community.”

“This announcement is an exciting one for the Acadiana region,” said One Acadiana President & CEO Troy Wayman. “We look forward to welcoming Delta Biofuel’s operations to Iberia Parish as they make a great impact on the agribusiness industries of Iberia, St. Mary, St. Martin and beyond. Congratulations to our partners in Iberia Parish on this great success.”

A bill signed this week by Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards will require school students to attend kindergarten as the first step in their K-12 education.
Senate Bill 10, which was introduced in February, passed the state Senate unanimously, 38-0, and was approved by the state House of Representatives, 70-32. It was sponsored by Sen. Cleo Fields, a Baton Rouge Democrat and chair of the Senate Education Committee. The bill had bipartisan support with 51 co-sponsors between the Senate and House.
The law goes into effect for the 2022-23 school year, and supporters say it will help students succeed throughout their academic careers by ensuring they are learning at an early age.
“This bill was so important because early childhood education matters,” Fields said at a news conference. “And it is so important that parents put their kids in school early.”
The law requires children who are 5 years old by Sept. 30 to attend kindergarten, Parents of children who are age 4 on the first day of school can decide to wait and enroll them the following year.
Children who are still 4 when the school year starts, however, would be required to pass what the bill calls an “academic readiness screening” in order to enroll in kindergarten. The same screening will be required for students starting first grade who moved to Louisiana from another state.
Louisiana is the 20th state to make kindergarten mandatory.
Parents also have the option of enrolling their child in a pre-kindergarten class, and families that home school are exempt from the mandatory attendance requirement.
The bill had the backing of the Louisiana School Boards Association.
“We are always advocating for our students to get an education as early as possible and the research shows the sooner they get in school the more prepared they will be,” Janet Pope, the group’s executive director, said at the press conference held by Fields.
“The research shows that if a child is not reading at grade level by third grade, they will be behind for the rest of their years in learning.”
Pope noted that that research shows 90% of a child’s brain development occurs between birth and age 5.
The Louisiana Department of Education says about 3,000 students across the state who are eligible do not attend kindergarten each year.
Schools are already required to offer kindergarten, so it is not believed that any new classrooms will need to be built or new teachers hired to accommodate the new students.

Sharday Sharay Dugar, 28, a native and resident of Patterson, died Monday, June 21, 2021, at Terrebonne General Medical Center in Houma.
Visitation will be Thursday from 11 a.m. until services at 1 p.m. at Good Hope Baptist Church in Patterson. Burial will follow in New Salem Cemetery in Patterson. Services accessible on funeral home Facebook page.
She is survived by three children, Hailey Dugar and Ka’Loni Dugar, both of Patterson, and Carl’Lin Singleton of Morgan City; parents, Tresea (Nathaniel) Dugar and Calvin Mitchell of Patterson; three sisters, Courtney Dugar-Dorsey of Bayou Vista, and Joyaunte’ Dugar and Tyresha Dugar of Patterson; three brothers, Daylon Charlot of Dallas, Corey Mitchell of Berwick and Daaron Mitchell of Baldwin; grandmothers, Roxie Dugar and JoJeanette Roberson, both of Patterson; grandfather, Robert Dugar Sr. of New Iberia; and a host of other relatives.
She was preceded in death by her paternal grandfather.
Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.