— CC24 VOTE: HB 800, to enable the proposed constitutional convention, is scheduled for another hearing on Wednesday in the House and Governmental Affairs Committee. Conventional wisdom suggests the legislation has a decent chance in the House, but will face a rougher road in the Senate.

— SOURCES: REDISTRICTING RULING COMING: Any day now, the results of the federal trial held in Shreveport to determine whether the new congressional map will remain in place could be announced. Congressman Garret Graves and his camp have repeatedly expressed confidence the map, which puts him in a majority-Black district where he would be an underdog in this reelection race, will be thrown out. The court could allow the map to stand, kick it back to the Legislature, or draw a map of its own. Senate and Governmental Affairs Chair Cleo Fields, who plans to run for any new majority-minority congressional district, has said he thinks it’s unlikely the court would give the Legislature yet another crack at the map. 

— AUDIT REVIEWS WEED REVENUE: The LSU AgCenter has awarded 24 grants worth almost $1.7 million for marijuana-related research projects funded by its participation in the state’s medical marijuana program, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor reports. Eight are related to medical research about the use of therapeutic marijuana, nine to the production, cultivation, and storage of therapeutic marijuana and industrial hemp, and seven to their commercial use. Southern University’s AgCenter began conducting therapeutic use research projects in 2022 and is currently conducting five research projects at an estimated cost of $287,000. The LSU AgCenter has received almost $7.6 million in revenue through its relationship with contractor GB Sciences, and has projected total revenue of almost $13.9 million through 2028. Southern’s AgCenter contracted with Advanced Biomedicine in 2018 and has received $7 million through 2024. LSU staff say they use program revenue for marijuana research specifically, though they are not required to do so, while Southern’s AgCenter has shared more than $2.7 million with other campuses for general expenses. 

— RELATED LEGISLATION: While present law authorizes LSU and Southern, as the state’s licensed producers, to contract with an outside company for production, SB 228 by Senate Health and Welfare Chair Patrick McMath would direct the state to contract directly with the growers for the universities. When presenting his bill to House Health and Welfare, which advanced the measure without objection, McMath said the universities “don’t need to be in the pot business.” 

— EXCLUSIVE: FEDERAL MONEY FOR LOCALS: Even while Congress is mired in gridlock, there are still federal funding opportunities available for communities in Louisiana to address long-standing infrastructure challenges and propel economic growth, writes Ward Cormier, senior director of federal affairs with The Picard Group. You can read Cormier’s exclusive guest column in tomorrow’s edition of the Beltway Beat.

— LOBBYING 101: The LaPolitics Report podcast presents two archived episodes this week featuring Liz Mangham of Southern Strategy Group and Randy Haynie of Haynie and Associates. Mangham discussed the lobbying trade in the Bayou State, her paintings and what it was like working on Kathleen Blanco’s successful run for governor. Haynie took us through the days when lobbyists weren’t required to register with the state, up through modern reporting requirements, and spoke about public perceptions, the different kinds of lobbyists you’ll find at the Capitol and some of the most common professional mistakes made in the building. Available now on Spotify and Apple.

— TRAINING WOMEN POLITICOS: Louisiana Women Lead plans to hold its annual Spring Training for the current class on May 11. The group encourages women to put their names on the ballot and provides training about how to run a successful campaign. “We want to see these women as mayors, council members, legislators, or the next governor,” Executive Director Renee Amar said.

— BOND COMMISSION TALLY: Since January, the State Bond Commission has approved the allocation of $323 million in general obligation bond proceeds to projects and has authorized an additional $252 million in lines of credit, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor reports. Overall, capital outlay funding in Act 465 (last year’s HB 2) totaled $11.6 billion, of which $8.5 billion was for state government entities and $1.44 billion was in Priority 1. The LLA has an interactive breakdown here.

— MORE FROM LLA: Auditors checked on the status of 70 recommendations contained in 13 performance audit reports issued during fiscal year 2021. Of the 70 recommendations, 63 were implemented, partially implemented or in the process of being implemented. Seven recommendations were not in any stage of implementation, although agencies indicated they intend to implement some of them in the future.