Legislation that would have allowed — but not required — parishes to add early voting locations failed Tuesday in a Louisiana House committee, with opponents concerned about its cost and local election staffing. House Bill 538 from Rep. Sam Jenkins, D-Shreveport, includes guidelines that set out the minimum number of early voting locations a parish should have based on its population and area. Lawmakers on the House and Governmental Affairs Committee discussed how population shifts in their parishes show a need for new polling sites, and how some rural parish residents have to cover long distances to reach an early voting location. ...

Policy Will Curb Discrimination by City Contractors Against Job Applicants with Prior Convictions BATON ROUGE, LA—The East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council voted 7-5 to approve an ordinance Wednesday that will require employers receiving money from the Parish to engage in “fair chance” hiring practices. The policy builds on a 2016 ordinance aimed at providing opportunities to apply for Parish jobs to formerly incarcerated persons or people with former convictions and expands it to cover public contractors as well. Under the ordinance, these employers will be required to first consider applicants on their merits—removing the “prior conviction box” from application forms and only conducting a background check if a conditional offer is presented. “A prior conviction should not be a scarlet letter that causes employers to shut the door on qualified job applicants,” said Lynda Turner, Baton Rouge Fair Chance member, who is formerly incarcerated. “This ordinance means more Baton...

BATON ROUGE – After deferring the Fair Chance Ordinance two weeks ago, the ordinance passed through the Metro Council by 7-5. The ordinance aims to help convicted criminals get a job with contractors in the City-Parish by stopping employers from asking potential hires about their criminal record until a proper assessment of their skills....

Private businesses that want to work with East Baton Rouge’s city-parish government will have to change their hiring process to comply with a new ordinance that advocates say will provide more opportunities for formerly incarcerated people.  The ordinance, which the Metro Council narrowly approved in a 7-to-5 vote Wednesday, bars contractors and sub-contractors doing work with the city-parish from asking job applicants about their criminal history until late in the hiring process....

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – Abortion rights advocates came together to talk about how the ban on abortions in Louisiana has affected their lives. Speakers came together at the Louisiana State Capitol for “We Have a Vision: Louisiana Reproductive Justice Day at the Capitol.” The event started at 9:20 a.m. and some of the speakers who were scheduled to attend included those listed below: https://d-12833587732725203327.ampproject.net/2304132133000/frame.html...

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – The legislative session kicks off the second week with advocates pushing against legislators to pass voting access and to offer more support to incarcerated people. As the fiscal session ramps up, advocacy groups want to make sure the state is investing in bills that will expand voting access, criminal justice reform and community resources. The Power Coalition for Equity and Justice is partnering with the Voice of the Experienced to push bills that create access to mental health services for incarcerated people, as well as create more early voting locations in each parish....

A special session of the Louisiana Legislature ended last June with lawmakers failing to sign off on a new congressional map for the state that included a second majority-Black district. Almost a year later, a group of progressive activists gathered at the State Capitol Monday to decry that outcome, advocating for various measures they said would increase voting access for disabled Louisianans and people of color — access they say has not improved enough in recent years....

For Immediate Release: April 3, 2023 The Power Coalition for Equity and Justice started their annual legislative roadshow on March 28th in New Orleans and March 30th in St. James. This legislative roadshow is aimed at being a space where legislators, advocates, and communities can come together to discuss the upcoming legislative session and the issues and policies that are of importance.  Community members will have an opportunity to learn more about the intricacies of the legislative session; such as the process of delivering testimony and the different house and senate committees. Legislators and advocates will share the legislation they are working to advance and answer any questions from the community.  “Not only is this year’s legislative session a fiscal session, it is also preceding an election where many seats are up for re-election, ” says Ashley Shelton, Founder, and CEO of the Power Coalition. “We want to empower community members...

As the nation pauses to recognize the 40th installment of the annual federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr., a number of racial and social justice leaders are spreading awareness of the civil rights icon’s legacy by urging policymakers to emulate the good reverend doctor while working in their official capacities....