La. House Passes Criminal Justice Bills, Renames LSMSA School

CRIMINAL JUSTICE & RENAMING A SCHOOL: An overhaul of Louisiana's criminal justice system have passed both chambers of the Legislature, and are within reach of the governor's desk for final approval. It's a victory for advocates pursuing the ambitious revamp that will, in large part, lead to some lighter jail sentences. It's also somewhat unexpected for the bipartisan consensus on the issue in such a deeply conservative state where law enforcement and elected officials have long prided themselves on being tough on crime.  The hotly-debated bill that would change the name of Louisiana's only residential high school won approval Monday in the Louisiana House. The vote was 56-43, beating the deadline before the 2/3rds majority vote requirement kicked in. The bill, which now returns to the Senate, would change the name of the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts to the Jimmy D. Long Sr. Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts.