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T H E A C A D I A N A A D V O C AT E.C O M
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T u e s d ay, J u ly 1, 2025
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Senators eye spending bill changes
White House pushes Republicans to ‘get the job done’ BY LISA MASCARO, KEVIN FREKING and JOEY CAPPELLETTI Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Senators hunkered down Monday to consider proposed amendments to President Donald Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts amid challenges including the weekend announcement from one GOP senator that he won’t run for reelection after opposing the package over its Medicaid health care cuts. The grind is expected to take
all day, and it could churn into the night. Potential changes were being considered in what’s called a vote-a-rama, though most are expected to fail, with Democrats united against the Republican president’s legislation and eagerly lined up to challenge it. “It’s time to vote,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RS.D., as the chamber opened. But later he suggested final action could slip. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, of New York, said
Sen. John Kennedy, R-Madisonville, speaks to reporters Monday as Republicans begin a push to advance President Donald Trump’s tax breaks and spending cuts package.
the “hardest choices” for Republicans are still to come. Democrats, he said, are bringing “amendment after amendment after amendment to the floor, so Republicans can defend their billionaire tax cuts and so they can try to explain their massive cuts to Medicaid to people back home.” The day will be pivotal for the Republicans, who have control of Congress and are racing against Trump’s July Fourth deadline to
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
ä See SENATORS, page 4A
Film explores Lao food culture
Vote skipped on public defenders La. oversight board can’t meet quorum
BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer
STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE
Vendors sell an assortment of ethnic foods during the 2024 Lao New year Festival at the Wat Thammarattanaram Buddhist Temple at Lanexang Village in Coteau.
New Iberia resident’s documentary details transplantation BY JOANNA BROWN
Staff writer
New Iberia resident Phanat Xanamane works tirelessly to document the unique culture of the Louisiana Lao people, who settled in Acadiana and south Louisiana in significant numbers following the end of the Vietnam War. Last week his short film, “Bayou, Buddha, and Padaek,” aired on the Library of Congress YouTube channel. This documentary, produced with filmmakers Sami Haggood and Badar Hamdani, explores the transplantation and continuation of Lao foodways in south Louisiana — with an inside look at how Laotian families maintain their culinary traditions decades after coming to Louisiana. The project was produced with a grant from the
ä See FILM, page 4A
PHOTO PROVIDED By THE LIBRARy OF CONGRESS
An image from ‘Bayou, Buddha, and Padaek: Southern Louisiana’s Lao Foodways’ shows a Louisiana Lao family gathered around a table of traditional foods. The documentary by New Iberia native Phanat Xanamane showcases the south Louisiana Lao immigrant community through the lens of food.
After a slew of resignations, Louisiana’s Public Defender Oversight Board twice failed to get a quorum to resolve a controversy over whether five chief public defenders should get to keep their jobs as the clock ran out on their contracts. State Public Defender Rémy Starns notified the district chiefs in February that their contracts, which end July 1, would not be renewed. The chiefs appealed to the board. On Monday, the board was scheduled to decide whether to adopt a committee’s recommendation that the five defenders keep their jobs. But only four members attended — one short of the five needed for a quorum. The same thing happened last week. “The four of us here would like to get this matter concluded. Unfortunately we don’t have that authority without having a quorum,” said board member Paul deMahy, a former judge who chaired the panel that investigated the contract nonrenewals. Phyllis Keaty, another board member and former judge, said she was “disappointed” the board could not reach a resolution. Some district chiefs said they felt left in the lurch as their contracts ended without an answer from the board. It appeared they would lose health insurance coverage, shortly after one member, John Hogue, said he was diagnosed with cancer. “All this job uncertainty has taken quite a toll on our family,” Hogue said, adding that he was
ä See VOTE, page 4A
Governor signs controversial car insurance legislation BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
Gov. Jeff Landry on Monday signed a law that puts new limits on how much money an injured person can win in a lawsuit after an accident — a measure favored by business and the insurance industry but slammed by trial law-
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yers as curtailing the rights of plaintiffs. In approving Senate Bill 231, Landry said he was balancing fairness to plaintiffs against unreasonable money awards in court in an effort to tamp down soaring car insurance rates. “This bill brings transparency into the courtroom by making
sure that the judges and juries see both the medical bills and the actual amounts paid,” Landry said at the bill signing Monday. “This will once and for all prevent inflated, phantom charges but also protects the legitimate rights of those who are legitimately injured.” That stance was backed by the Louisiana Association of Business
and Industry, the state’s powerful business lobby. “Today is another step toward restoring balance and fairness in Louisiana’s civil justice system,” LABI President and CEO Will Green said in a statement. “The passage of SB231 is a clear signal that Louisiana is committed to reforms that signal we are open for
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business and ready to compete.” Landry’s signature marks a reversal of fortune of sorts. This time last year, LABI slammed the governor for vetoing a bill that would have reduced payouts in personal injury cases, accusing him of choosing to “stand with the
ä See GOVERNOR, page 4A
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