(Special to the American Press)

Southwest Louisiana legislators, for the most part, have supported the more controversial measures of the current regular session. Rodney Schamerhorn, R-Hornbeck, for example, was the only one of the area’s 4 senators and 9 representatives to vote against a bill shielding the state’s nursing homes from large lawsuit penalties.

Senate Bill 134 from Sen. Thomas Pressly, R-Shreveport, will require lawsuits against nursing home management companies to go through the state’s Medical Malpractice Act, which caps the payout that a company could be on the hook for. The cap is $500,000, but the individual owner or provider would pay only $100,000, while the state’s Patient’s Compensation Trust Fund would make up the rest.

Pressly’s bill passed the Senate 26-11 and the House 58-37.

Voting for the bill were Republican Sens. Mark Abraham of Lake Charles, Heather Cloud of Turkey Creek, Mike Reese of Leesville and Jeremy Stine of Lake Charles and GOP Reps. Ryan Bourriaque of Grand Lake, Dewith Carrier of Oakdale, Les Farnum of Sulphur, Brett Geymann of Moss Bluff, Chuck Owen of Rosepine and Troy Romero of Jennings.

Reps. Wilford Carter, D-Lake Charles, and Phillip Tarver, R-Lake Charles, were recorded as absent.

Abraham, Cloud, Reese and Stine voted for SB 19 by Sen. Michael “Big Mike” Fesi, R-Houma. The legislation would authorize Louisiana to dispense the controversial ivermectin drug without requiring a prescription from a patient’s physician.

The bill passed the Senate 28-8 and the House 67-26.

Reps. Bourriaque, Carrier, Farnum, Owen, Romero and Schamerhorn voted for the bill. Carter, Geymann and Tarver were recorded as absent.

House Bill 148 by Rep. Jeffery “Jeff” Wiley, R-Maurepas, was a measure strongly pushed by Gov. Jeff Landry. It will allow the state insurance commissioner to reject auto insurance increases even when they are justified by factual information. Opponents, including Commissioner Tim Temple, said it would cause insurance companies to not want to do business in Louisiana.

The bill passed the House 68-34 and the Senate 26-9.

Reps. Bourriaque, Carter, Farnum, and Romero voted for it. Reps. Carrier, Geymann, Owen, Schamerhorn and Tarver voted against the bill. Abraham, Cloud, Reese and Stine voted for the bill.

The vote on HB 674, an ethics bill, was unanimous in the House and 34-2 in the Senate. Twelve of the 13 Southwest Louisiana lawmakers voted for the bill that would limit the investigatory powers of the state Board of Ethics and make investigations more difficult. Carter was reported as absent.

The Advocate in an editorial on the bill said there was a lot packed into it, “so you would expect it to have sparked spirited debate on the House floor. Yet not a single Republican or Democrat raised any questions.”

HB 693 that is described as “a sprawling revision of Louisiana’s campaign finance laws and disclosure” passed the House 77-16. Bourriaque, Carrier, Farnum, Owen, Romero, Schamerhorn and Tarver voted for the bill. Carter and Geymann were recorded as absent. The Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee made some amendments to the bill Wednesday.

SB 2 by Sen. Fesi that was designed to take fluoride out of public drinking water cleared the upper chamber 24-10. Abraham, Cloud, Reese and Stine voted for the bill. However, the House Health and Welfare Committee with a 5-10 vote killed the bill.

Dentists and doctors who testified in committee said if fluoride were taken out of water, “We’re going to see a significant amount of decay.”

SB 101 by Sen. Blake Miguez, R-New Iberia, would allow those 18 and older who can carry a gun without obtaining a permit and those with permits to carry it up to a school’s property line. Current law says a concealed carry permit is needed to have a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school.

The bill passed the Senate 28-11 and the House 72-23. Abraham, Cloud, Reese and Stine voted for the bill. Bourriaque, Carrier, Farnum, Geymann, Owen, Romero and Schamerhorn voted for the bill. Carter and Tarver were recorded as absent. The bill went back to the Senate with amendments with which the House must approve.