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Former Lafayette City Marshal Brian Pope was indicted on multiple federal charges for pocketing fees paid by citizens to pad his income. At the time, Pope was told not to do it, but now there s a new law on the books saying it s OK to do exactly that.
The new law was signed by Governor John Bel Edwards this week allowing the marshal to supplement his income with fees collected by his office as reported by KATC.
We all know how laws change through the years. Something that s illegal today might not be in 5 years.
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That being said, this new law has people raising an eyebrow or two and has many wondering why the law was even proposed in the first place.
Bill filed to clarify Lafayette City Marshal s salary, prevent malfeasance from previous administration
ill to clarify salary for Lafayette City Marshal
and last updated 2021-04-30 00:44:48-04
We re learning more about a Senate bill that would allow the Lafayette City Marshal to keep court fees that got former City Marshal Brian Pope in legal trouble.
The bill, filed by Senator Gerald Boudreaux, will bring clarity to the law.
Senator Gerald Boudreaux says this bill will allow the Lafayette City Marshal to pocket certain fees from the court system, like money from eviction notices and subpoenas. By statute, we would have the limitations on the salary, how much fees and fines the dollars from those two accounts can go towards the salary of the marshal,â said Boudreaux.
Bill author and West Monroe Senator Jay Morris said passage would make Louisiana the 21
st state to adopt a so-called “Constitutional Carry” law.
“It is about freedom, freedom to do what you want to in this world and to be able to protect your family and your property without having to ask the government for permission,” said Morris. Morris further mentioned that those with felony records would still not be eligible to carry.
Houma Senator “Big” Mike Fesi voted in favor. He cited a recent mass shooting in Houma that he said could have been mitigated by the widespread adoption of concealed carry.