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Late last week, St. Paul city officials said they were increasingly worried about how the onset of wintry weather was affecting a camp of homeless people at the base of Cathedral Hill, and they hoped to come up with a plan for them over the next couple weeks. Early Tuesday morning, they took action: police officers and workers from the Department of Safety and Inspections visited the encampment alongside Interstate 35E and handed out fliers. “To protect your health and safety,” the flier told campers, “this site will be permanently cleared at 10 a.m. on Thursday, November 15th. You are required to vacate the site and not return.” Any items left after that date would be considered abandoned and disposed of, the flier added. “It’s been determined by the Minnesota Department of Transportation that it’s no longer a safe place for them to be,” said Ricardo Cervantes, who leads DSI, which is coordinating the response to the camp. “And we … [Read more...] about St. Paul officials tell homeless to vacate Cathedral Hill encampment by Thursday

A new audit says Louisiana’s health department may have paid as much as $85 million over 20 months for Medicaid enrollees who didn’t qualify for coverage. Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera’s office released the audit today. Auditors found problems with the department’s use of wage data to determine eligibility for people enrolled in Louisiana’s Medicaid expansion program. The report says the department relies on Medicaid recipients to self-report changes in their paychecks in the 12-month period between application for Medicaid and renewal of coverage. Auditors suggested more frequent checks of available state wage data. The health department says it follows a federally-approved verification plan for double-checking Medicaid recipients’ income. But Health Secretary Rebekah Gee also says the agency is launching a new automated system to improve eligibility reviews. Purpera’s office used a random sample of 100 Medicaid recipients in the expansion … [Read more...] about Audit: Louisiana misspent upwards of $85M on Medicaid program

Teleworking has become a popular option for state workers in Tennessee, but don’t expect Louisiana to implement the policy for its government workers any time soon, according to the state government’s management arm. “Based on people’s job descriptions and whether or not it saves money, it’s possible,” says Jacques Berry, the director of policy and communication for the Louisiana Division of Administration. “But in general, and from a policy standpoint, we like to have people in their offices serving the public.” But the program in Tennessee appears to have several benefits Louisiana could use, Governing reports, such as saving the state millions of dollars, decreasing traffic congestion and improving employee productivity. In mid-2016, Tennessee launched its Alternative Workspace Solutions program, where, in exchange for giving up their desk or office, participating employees can work remotely—either at home or in the … [Read more...] about Louisiana state workers are staying in the office, for now

There are so-called basics in Louisiana politics that shouldn’t be ignored, even if seasoned professionals do just that each and every election cycle, writes Jeremy Alford in his latest column. “It doesn’t matter who you think you are, who you may actually be or who other people believe you could become—certain conventions, habits and traditions are worth treating as bedrock,” Alford says. The Nov. 6 Election Day, along with its early voting components, was a terrific incubator for a few refreshers on some of “The Rules,” he writes. Alford says he saw quite a few of the Louisiana rules in action last week, including these:   Every voter counts. For example, Alford writes, the special election for Slidell’s House District 90, advanced to a runoff without Democrat Sean Morrison, who was squeezed out of the second showing by a mere five votes. Money isn’t everything. Rep. Bob Hengens, R-Abbeville, is now Sen.-elect Hensgens, … [Read more...] about Alford: Lessons learned the hard (and easy) way

LSU has announced it’s joining a national initiative to increase college access, close disparities between different types of students and award more degrees by 2025. The initiative is the largest-ever of its kind, reaching some 3 million students—including 1 million Pell Grant recipients—from 130 institutions across the country. Organized by the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities, the “Powered by Publics: Scaling Student Success” initiative will be overseen by APLU’s Center for Public University Transformation, which the association created this year to drive change across the public higher education sector. LSU Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Support Services Matt Lee says the university’s involvement in the program will allow it to share data on best practices with peer institutions. LSU is one of the 11 institutions participating in the “Southern Cluster,” which also includes the Southern University System, … [Read more...] about LSU joining national effort to increase college access, degree attainment