Freshman state senator from Turkey Creek Heather Cloud told the Rotary Club of Ville Platte her first legislative sessions were a sink or swim experience because of the COVID outbreak.
“I think this legislature swam,” she said. “We did really well. We’ve accomplished some things in the last two sessions that legislatures have worked on for decades.”
As Senator Cloud explained, one of the main items to come out of the regular and special sessions dealt with tort reform. “We passed a piece of legislation that has several different provisions in it aimed at laying the foundation in fixing some of the problems in our legal system,” she said.
“The governor signed it,” she continued, “and, within the first couple of days after the governor signed it, State Farm contacted the legislature to commend us and dropped their insurance rates by 10 percent. We expect this is going to be an almost evolutionary thing. Some of the changes are going to take time for us to see the fruits of them.”
Senator Cloud then went over other pieces of legislation that made their way to the governor’s desk and told the Rotary Club there will be a special session in October to debate two constitutional amendments.
One of the amendments deals with unclaimed property. “Money is sent to state treasury, and they hold it until it is claimed,” said the senator. “The state looks at it as money it can use to operate. For years, the state government has been folding your unclaimed property into the general fund.”
She continued, “The constitutional amendment will dedicate that money into a newly created trust fund to prevent the state from being able to use that money to operate.”
She went on to lobby support of the amendment by saying, “I ask you to support the creation of this trust fund so your money will be there whenever you want it.”
The other amendment is the “Love Life Amendment.” As Senator Cloud explained, “When Roe v. Wade is overturned, this amendment will remove any protections for an abortion in the State of Louisiana. This is a preemptive strike on removing those protections ahead of the illegalizing of abortion across the country.”
The senator also discussed capital outlay funding available for U.S. Hwy 167 N from Turkey Creek to the parish line.
Earlier in the meeting, Rotarian and President of the Evangeline Arts Council Renee Brown reported on a virtual option to get people more involved in the arts.
She said the council will post an inspiration piece on its Facebook page every Sunday.
“We’re trying to encourage people to use whatever they have at home to create something from that inspiration piece and put it on Facebook,” Brown said. “We will make a beautiful collage with it.”
Assistant Superintendent of School Michael Lombas, guest of Rotarian and Superintendent Darwan Lazard, then gave an update on the French Immersion program for this school year.
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Tony Marks
Editor