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GOP spending bill runs afoul of rules
Senate parliamentarian rules against Medicaid proposal BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
WASHINGTON — As U.S. Senate leaders struggle to find just enough Republicans to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill, the Senate parliamentarian ruled Thursday that some GOP plans to raise billions by reducing Medicaid spending didn’t adhere to the rules the
majority party wants to use to approve the instrument without Democrats. Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough shot down the Senate Finance Committee’s proposal to lower how much states could tax hospitals, clinics and other health care providers, which budget hawks championed, and centrist senators opposed.
That proposal had alarmed many Louisiana health care leaders, who feared it could slash budgets for rural hospitals. The parliamentarian’s decision could delay passage of the bill. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and President Donald Trump have both said they want it to pass by the weekend. Some Republican hard-liners
demanded MacDonough’s termination. But Louisiana’s two senators, both Republicans, said firing MacDonough isn’t responsible. “We all have respect for the parliamentarian. I think that she’s very fair and I don’t think that she should be fired nor do I think she will be fired,” Sen. John N. Kennedy, of Madisonville, told reporters. Sen. Bill Cassidy, of Baton Rouge,
said: “My position is that cuts, and especially drastic cuts to Medicaid, should be avoided. The Senate bill cuts Medicaid too much. I agree with President Trump, the House version is better.” Their comments align with Louisiana’s hospital community, which has been on Capitol Hill lobbying for changes in the Senate Finance version that conservatives say will generate billions of dollars to offset the costs of Trump’s tax breaks
ä See SPENDING, page 7A
LAFAYETTE PARISH SCHOOLS
“To hear Cajun music here and see them play was just breathtaking.” COLETTE BERNARD, on her visit to Japan
CULTURAL CROSSOVER
No misuse of funds for construction bids found Two employees were placed on leave as investigation carried out
BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer
PROVIDED PHOTOS
Colette Bernard poses with Creole Coffee Stand owner yoshitake Nakabayashi during her trip to Japan earlier this month.
Lafayette native finds links to Louisiana in Japan travels
BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer
During a trip to Japan this summer, Lafayette native Colette Bernard learned many things about the Japanese culture, including a world in the heart of Tokyo that seemed to parallel south Louisiana. Bernard’s official tour guide was her dad’s friend, Kaz Kimuri, who took her to visit a few local spots in Tokyo. In the first 24 hours, she found herself at a local bar where band members of the Zydeco Kicks played washboards and accordions while singing zydeco tunes in Japanese all night long. Bernard was mesmerized by the band’s upbeat rhythms and soulful melodies. Her next stop along the vibrant streets of Tokyo was a neighborhood cafe that featured all things Louisiana.
Walking up to The Creole Coffee Stand in Tokyo, the first thing that caught Bernard’s eye was the Acadiana flag that hung alongside a welcome sign made out of pecan shells, a beloved ingredient in many Louisiana sweet treats. Inside the shop, Louisiana memorabilia hung on the walls and sounds of Clifton Chenier and Rod Bernard, her grandfather, were rotating on a record player. Bernard said she felt as if she was transported back to Lafayette. Louisiana memorabilia hangs inside the Yoshitake Nakabayashi, who is also in Creole Coffee Stand in Japan, owned by a zydeco band, opened the Creole Coffee Stand in December 2012, after losyoshitake Nakabayashi. ing his job due to a 2011 earthquake in Japan. “It was like a crossover of two “I was at a loss as to what to do, so I worlds,” Bernard said. “To hear Cajun thought to myself, ‘I’ll just make what I music here and see them play was just love into a job’ and opened a shop with breathtaking. Then, visiting this cafe ä See CULTURAL, page 7A after, I was kind of disoriented.”
An investigation into alleged forged construction bids has not shown a misappropriation or misuse of funds, according to the Lafayette Parish school system. The investigation was launched last month and handed over to the Lafayette Police Department, but at this point, it does not appear funds were misused, district spokesperson Tracy Wirtz told The Acadiana Advocate. Two employees who work in the LPSS construction, facilities and maintenance department were placed on administrative leave last week as the investigation into the possible forgeries continues, Wirtz said. LPSS Superintendent Francis Touchet Jr. was made aware of the possible forgeries in a May 21 letter from Sean Beavers, deputy director of enforcement with the licensing board. The licensing board was investigating a complaint against Bosco Oilfield Services in Maurice and its work with the district. That investigation centered around an August 2024 drainage pipe replacement project worth $74,500 completed by Bosco, which allegedly submitted the lowest bid. It did not have the proper licensing for that project, the licensing board said. LPSS received two other bids for that project, but those companies denied submitting bids. The owner of Clements Construction in Lafayette, Beavers wrote, which according to LPSS documents bid on the project, “adamantly stated that he did not submit a bid proposal for that project.” The owner of the third company that allegedly bid on the project, Siema Construction of Scott, also told a state investigator his company applied earlier in the year for LPSS jobs but did not submit this particular bid. He noted that the bid submission format for the drainage project
ä See MISUSE, page 7A
WEATHER HIGH 91 LOW 74 PAGE 10C
Business ......................6A Commentary ................3B Nation-World ................2A Classified .....................4B Deaths .........................4B Opinion ........................2B Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Living............................5C Sports ..........................1C
100TH yEAR, NO. 362