Governor John Bel Edwards laid out his legislative agenda to lawmakers on the first day of the 2019 legislative session. Edwards spoke for nearly 40 minutes during a joint session of the House and Senate and said his top priority is to give teachers a one-thousand dollar increase in pay.
“This would be the first step in a multi-year process, because our teachers deserve more,” said Edwards.
Edwards is also seeking a $500 increase in pay for school support workers and he wants to see more money put into the classroom, increasing the public school education budget for just the second time in the last 10 years.
The governor is also asking legislators to support legislation to raise the minimum wage and also approve a bill to eliminate pay secrecy as a way to reduce the highest gender wage gap in the country.
“I mean do you really believe someone should be fired for discussing their salary, this is the right thing to do and we know that it will help close the wage gap,” said Edwards.
Edwards also wants to see legislators approve legislation that would make sure Louisiana residents are not denied access to health coverage because of a pre-existing condition. He says the proposal would go into effect if the courts throw out the Affordable Care Act.
“I do not want the nearly one-million Louisiana residents living with pre-existing conditions to get caught in the middle of Washington D.C. politics,” said Edwards.
The governor is also asking legislators to approve legislation to support Louisiana veterans, help fight the opioid epidemic, and combat human trafficking.
