Louisiana Voice

The Louisiana Legislature finally did something right but only after first doing it wrong two years ago.

Both the HOUSE (97-0, with eight abstentions) and the SENATE (33-0, six not voting) gave unanimous approval earlier this week to SB 208 by Sen. Stewart Cathey, Jr. (R-Monroe) that rectifies a 2024 bill, also authored by Cathey but ruled unconstitutional by a federal court. It’s scheduled for Conference Committee on Monday.

State Sen. Stewart Cathey, Jr.

The bill was submitted as an effort to protect disabled veterans from being charged fees unfairly by private services set up to assist them in obtaining benefits from the Veterans Administration.

While it does not completely prohibit the charging of fees for services, it does keep private unaccredited consultants from profiteering off initial disability claims filed by veterans, according to the LOUISIANA ILLUMINATOR.

Websites purporting to offer assistance to veterans began popping up in 2022 following President Joe Biden’s signing of the PACT Act into law which approved billions of dollars in additional benefits for veterans who were exposed to toxic emissions hazards during their military service.

Those private entities were found to be charging EXORBITANT FEES to veterans who were already suffering from the effects of toxic exposure—in some cases amounts in excess of $20,000 (Louisiana, however, had capped those fees at a still pricey $12,500)—for many services that are available at no fee from VA-accredited organizations like DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS (DAV) and VETERANS OF FOREIGH WARS (VFW).

So, why would the Louisiana Legislature have even allowed fees as high as $12,500 for services that are available for free through non-profit organizations? Well, I’m just a jaded old newspaper reporter, but I would guess off the top of my gray old head that the answer is twofold: greedy lawyers and money. The plaintiffs’ bar has a lot of juice over in the House that Huey Built and they aren’t about to let an opportunity like that slip by.

A notable exception is Slidell attorney John B. Wells, who also happens to be a retired U.S. Navy commander, who filed suit against the fee practice and eventually won the ruling that Louisiana’s 2024 law was unconstitutional. Wells represents veterans in legal disputes over military benefits.

Attorney John B. Wells

The State of California went Louisiana one better by passing a law SIGNED BY GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM on Feb. 10 that prohibits unaccredited private companies for billing veterans for any help with VA claims and further ordered that those companies must shut down or revamp their business model in California by the end of the year.

It’s unfortunate but all too typical that unscrupulous people are standing by and ready to take advantage of the most vulnerable or less sophisticated among us. One only has to check his or her emails and text messages to find that a Nigerian prince wants to transfer millions to your checking account or you’re the unexpectantly unbelievably fortunate hair to some unknown relative who passed away abroad and left you a fortune—if you’ll only provide your account and routing numbers. Likewise, you probably should be sending the IRS or the DMV (depending upon the SCAM DU JOUR) a check lest you find yourself in handcuffs and heading off to the slammer.

It should give us all a warm fuzzy feeling to know that while we struggle, in the light of runaway inflation brought on by yet another political war, to put gas in our cars, pay rent, utilities, put food on our tables, pay medical bills and educate our children, our legislators are doing quite well, thank you very much.

It’s so nice to know our elected officials in Baton Rouge are free to dip into their campaign funds to pay for such things as travel to and lodging for the Washington Mardi Gras celebration while their constituents content themselves with watching highlights of the Eunice Courir de Mardi Gras & Chicken Run on TV.

And they don’t stay at Motel 6 or even that place with the two oak trees. No, they drop $1700 on a single night’s stay at the Waldorf Astoria or $1100 at the less pricey Hilton International. And that’s after spending more than $4000 on airfare to D.C. and back home.

But hey, it’s not their personal money. No, they made certain of that when they passed a bill last year that allows them to use campaign contributions for such things. They even think nothing of writing out checks of $5175 for New Orleans Saints tickets or $4000 on LSU athletic tickets, saying, of course, they’re for “constituents.” Sure, if you consider contractors, lobbyists or major contributors as “constituents.”

Of course, a few years ago, LouisianaVoice found one north Louisiana legislator who paid state ethics fines, car loan payments and even an IRS tax bill from campaign funds.

It’s a slush fund folks, a miniaturized version of America’s number-one crime family’s IRS $1.8 billion IRS lawsuit settlement—except that settlement also carried the proviso that the IRS is forevermore prohibited from ever even so much as investigating Dementia Don. Translation: he is now free to pursue any scam his little heart desires—as if he hasn’t already.

But again, worry not. FAJITA (Forget About Jurisprudence If Trump’s Around) Don says the increase in the price of gasoline is only a trifle, or in his words, “peanuts.” Of course, he has never pumped fuel a single time in his life, so he wouldn’t really know, now, would he?

Well, let’s just take a looky-look at what constitutes a trifle or peanuts in his rarified world: the Iran War has resulted in Americans spending an extra $42.6 billion on fuel costs—so far. Broken down, that’s $24.25 billion on gasoline and $19.35 on diesel.

Oil companies are pointing to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz for the spike in fuel costs. If that was all there was to it, then the oil companies would also be feeling the financial pinch. Such, however, is just not the case.

Take Shell Oil Co. for example, reported first-quarter profits of $6.93 billion, a healthy jump of 24 percent from the same quarter of 2025.

Just thought you’d want to know that not everyone is suffering. Some take good care of themselves.

As is usually the case, the messenger is getting the blame for the debacle at Mt. Olive Christian School up in Claiborne Parish in which the school’s former principal, Nathan Jump, has been arrested for sexual misconduct involving students at the school.

The school’s administration, aka Jump’s in-laws who own and operate the school, are rolling out “witnesses” to the former principal’s good name while beginning the usual piling on of the accuser—and LouisianaVoice for having the audacity to report it. We’re okay with criticism. It ain’t our first rodeo, but it’s patently unfair to gang up on underage female sexual victims.

The latest development has one Megan Lindsey, who purportedly works or at least maintains a high profile at the school, claiming online that she “just happened” to be in Jump’s office at the time the sheriff’s office called on him to turn himself in.

Lindsey also claims that her own daughter, a student at the school, told her after the arrest of Jump that the same girl now accusing him also accused a coach at the school of inappropriate behavior more than a year before.

Now, that gives rise to a couple of obvious questions. First, if the young lady knew of this a year before, why is she only now informing her mother? Second, if a coach—or anyone on the school staff—is accused of any offense, anyone else with knowledge of the complaint is required by law to report same, so why didn’t Principal Jump report the offense a year ago and conduct an investigation or notify law enforcement?

Whether it was Nathan Jump or an unnamed coach, it nevertheless was not the first reports of sexual misconduct between a student and a teacher at the school. Seven years ago, almost to the day, a 25-year-old choir and fine arts teacher at Mt. Olive was arrested for “prohibited sexual conduct between educator and student.”

Of course, the Gantt family (parents of Nathan’s wife, Tammy Jump) wants to do everything they can to salvage their daughter’s current campaign for election as district attorney for the 2^nd JDC which is comprised of the parishes of Claiborne, Bienville and Jackson—and no one faults them for rallying to the support of their daughter; you do that with family.

But we’re curious to see who else comes forward as a character witness