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Congress moves closer to ending shutdown
New leases open in Gulf
Sale of 80 million acres is the first since December 2023 BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, urged lawmakers to start returning to Washington “right now” given shutdownrelated travel delays. “We have to do this as quickly as possible,” said Johnson, who has kept the House out of session since mid-September, when the House passed a bill to continue government funding. After weeks of negotiations, a group of three former governors — New Hampshire Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan and Independent Sen. Angus King, of Maine — agreed to vote to
WASHINGTON — The federal government released Monday a call for bids to lease about 80 million acres in the central and western Gulf under the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act. It’s the first lease sale since December 2023. Energy companies have until Dec. 10 to submit bids for how much they “I’m excited will pay to explore for to see this and devellease sale op oil and move forward, natural gas strengthening reserves on our energy the outer continental dominance, shelf off the lowering energy coasts of costs for Louisiana, hardworking Texas, MisAmerican sissippi and Alabama. families, creating The sale more jobs here is also the at home, and first that bolstering our will bring in energy security. ” higher rates under the HOUSE MAJORITy Gulf of MexLEADER ico Energy STEVE SCALISE, Security R-Jefferson Act, which pays Louisiana and other Gulf states a portion of the millions of dollars from bid prices and royalties once the offshore rigs are producing. It takes about five years from the lease until a well produces fossil fuels. The last lease sale brought in $372.5 million. “We followed through on our promise to unleash American energy with the passage of our historic Working Families Tax Cut, which required lease sales in the Gulf of America,” Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, said in a statement.
ä See SHUTDOWN, page 7A
ä See LEASES, page 7A
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Benton, urged lawmakers to start returning to Washington after the Senate voted to move forward with a stopgap funding bill to reopen the government through Jan. 30.
Legislation passes Senate, must now clear House before the federal government can reopen
The final Senate vote, 60-40, broke a ä Ending shutdown won’t stop flight BY MARY CLARE JALONICK, LISA MASCARO grueling stalemate that lasted more than cancellations, FAA says. PAGE 6A and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Senate passed legislation Monday to reopen the government, bringing the longest shutdown in history closer to an end as a small group of Democrats ratified a deal with Republicans despite searing criticism from within their party. The 41-day shutdown could last a few more days as members of the House, which has been on recess since mid-September, return to Washington to vote on the legislation. President Donald Trump has signaled support for the bill, saying Monday that “we’re going to be opening up our country very quickly.”
Supreme Court hears suit by inmate shaved by guards BY MARK BALLARD
Staff writer
WASHINGTON — While seemingly sympathetic to a Louisiana inmate having his dreadlocks shaved off against his religious beliefs, conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices asked questions that hinted they were skeptical he could sue the government to be compensated. A devout Rastafarian, Damon Landor had followed dictates of the religion and grown his hair for 20 years without cutting it. Three weeks before the end of his fivemonth drug-related sentence in 2020, Landor
ä See SHAVED, page 5A
WEATHER HIGH 60 LOW 44 PAGE 6B
six weeks as Democrats demanded that Republicans negotiate with them to extend health care tax credits that expire Jan. 1. The Republicans never did, and five moderate Democrats eventually switched their votes as federal food aid was delayed, airport delays worsened and hundreds of thousands of federal workers continued to go unpaid. After the vote, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., thanked unpaid staff and Capitol Police who stood near him on the floor. He said he realized the strain had been immense for “six excruciating weeks.” “I am very, very happy to be able to say we are coming to the end,” Thune said.
La. pushing for bigger fortified roof discounts Temple says state now has 10,000
BY SAM KARLIN Staff writer
Louisiana may soon require insurance companies to deliver bigger discounts to homeowners who put fortified roofs on their homes, as residents flock to get the new roofs and state officials grapple with an enduring insurance crisis that has brought stubbornly high premiums. Insurance Commissioner Tim STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD Temple said Monday his office is moving to implement a rule that Louisiana now has 10,000 residents with fortified sets a “benchmark” discount that roofs, the third-most in the nation, according to state insurers must give to homeownInsurance Commissioner Tim Temple. ers with fortified roofs. The state
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has doled out millions in taxpayerfunded grants to help homeowners put the roofs on their homes. Temple announced that 10,000 Louisianans now have fortified roofs, the third-most in the nation behind Alabama and North Carolina. This time last year, only about 1,000 residents had them. And he said the next round of grants will open to residents this Wednesday. The agency will select 1,000 people at random. “Louisiana is the fastest-growing state when it comes to putting fortified roofs on in the country,” Temple said. About 40% of those have received a $10,000 grant from the state to help pay for them,
ä See ROOF, page 5A
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