Murphy Proposed New Laws LA St. House 16
This just in from the Murphy Louisiana State House District 16 Campaign.
Related: see below
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Murphy’s Laws
James M Murphy for State Representative
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I propose 24 new laws to correct social issues and injustice in Louisiana.
1) State law should mandate the city police issue citations for certain violations. It has become clear that we need new laws enacted that will force our police departments to do their job. Police issuing verbal warnings are laughed at when they leave. State law should mandate the city police issue citations when turn signals are not used, stop signs ignored, illegal parking, and noise violations. Further, the option to require citations should be reviewed for other offenses. The removal of “police option to issue citations” would force compliance by the police and remove favoritism and racial inequalities. This would have a side effect of lowering the auto insurance cost, reducing emergency room use via reducing auto accidents.
2) A minimum number of citations per shift will be required in towns over 5000. Setting a minimum number of citations required to be issued per shift has been used with success before but not without resistance from the officers. The issue should be mandated at the state level, set at the lowest acceptable level of two per shift with exceptions for communities below 5,000 in population. It would be a small step in forcing the police to enforce existing laws instead of simply driving by and taking no action.
3) Mayors and city councils will be held accountable for their actions. In addition, we should force the mayors and city councils be held accountable for their actions allowing class action lawsuits to be filed under certain situations. Those situations should be clearly spelled out and a list of legally defined “special relationships” provided within the new law. I recently filed suit against the Bastrop police and lost because the state laws are written in ways that stacked the deck against the plaintiff. This unjust legal barrier must be removed to allow the public their legal right to force their city employees to do the job description they were hired to do without having to wait four years to get action.
4) City Chief of Police cannot do whatever he wants without consequences. I believe we should change laws that currently allow the City Chief of Police to have the power to do whatever he wants without consequences. The legally mandated disconnect between the Mayor, City Council, and the Chief of Police should be removed. A legal method should be provided that gives the city’s representatives some control over the Police Chief after he has been hired.
5) City police should have minimum standards of training and education of our state and local laws. A standardized test for legal knowledge should be required. Police should be notified when new laws come into effect and a signed document should be required that states they have received the information and understand it. Variances to legal questions, caused by the lack of police training, are a common problem in Bastrop.
6) Police should be forced, by law, to issue citations after the same person, for the same complaint, has called them three times. The police officer is not the judge, so let the judge do the deciding. This removes the possibility of prejudice and friendship getting in the way of the officer doing their job.
7) For certain crimes, make the vehicle owners responsible if the driver cannot be identified when automated crime capture devices are used and a clear image of the license plate is available.
8) The statutory requirement to have a jury for fines above $1,000 should be revised to $2,500 and noise fines increased. The first fine for un-necessary noise should be $500, $750 for the second and $1,000 for the third with the driver’s license revoked for six months. On the fourth offence, the amplifier should be removed by the owner, destroyed by officials, a fine of $1,250 paid and the offender ordered to serve 20 hours of community service.
9) Minimally trained volunteers from Neighborhood Watch groups could reinforce the overstressed police force. The budgets of many communities have been reduced forcing layoffs of necessary employees such as police officers. Asking for Neighborhood Watch groups to take up the slack for the missing police are a common practice but not very effective. Minimally trained volunteers from the same Neighborhood Watch groups, using provided cameras could reinforce the police right from their own yard. Moving citations that require recognition of the driver could be re-written to have the vehicle owner held as the responsible party when the driver cannot be identified. Videos taken of the license plate, showing the entire event and the testimony of the volunteer would be used to issue citations.
10) A $50 citation processing fee, paid to the originating department of the citation, should be added to any citation greater than $100 with 10% paid to the arresting officer. Because of the increased cost of operating various departments of the state, parish and city, a $50 citation-processing fee, paid to the originating department of the citation, should be added to any citation greater than $100. Due to the low pay of police officers, an incentive pay is desired to overcome police indifference and complacency. This could be done by providing the arresting officer 10% of the processing fee value. Continuing to do nothing about police complacency and low pay is no longer an option.
11) Due to the danger to the public, emergency, police and state vehicles should indicate they are driving 10 MPH in excess of the posted speed limit by displaying their emergency lighting. State police, sheriff’s department vehicles and city police are known to travel in excess of the speed limit without true purpose, themselves breaking the very law they are supposed to be enforcing. This uses an excess amount of fuel and is dangerous for all parties near the speeding vehicles. It is time to stop speeding to get a doughnut. Let’s get the officers off speed!
12) Auto amplifiers that are larger than 100 watts should not be sold or installed in Louisiana automobiles. Amplification beyond 100 watts has no logical reason to be in a 500 cubic foot space except to make the money for the business selling them, annoy the neighborhood and harm the driver’s hearing. Illegal amplifiers above 100 watts, found in a Louisiana licensed auto, should be removed by owner, turned over to authorities, fined $100, the amplifier destroyed and sent to a recycler.
13) School, hospitals, retirement homes, and other designated areas should have the un-necessary noise fines doubled within 3000 feet of said establishments. In addition, un-necessary noise fines should be doubled after 10 PM to 6 AM within the city limits.
14) The same style laws that protect hotels from rental loss should be written to cover rental of apartments, houses, and businesses. If you skip owing, you could be arrested using similar laws designed for stealing hotel room charges. Not paying rent is nothing more than stealing from the owner whether a hotel room or apartment.
15) I believe that if a husband has no knowledge of his wife forging his name on a loan or credit card application, he is no longer responsible for those bills, she is. The opposite is also true. Everyone should have knowledge and freedom of choice to be responsible for charges above $500.
16) Autos older than twenty-five years should be protected if the owner wishes to save it. Autos older than twenty-five years should be allowed to be placed under cover and protected from all further legal requirements if the owner wishes to preserve and protect them from the crusher. Restrictions by cities and in subdivisions have made it impossible for hobbyist to place their projects on a safe concrete work surface in the front or side of their house. The law should allow a project auto, with cover, in the front driveway so those that enjoy rebuilding and repairing autos can have their freedom back. You have the right to enjoy your hobby.
17) A Student Rental Protection Law should be written that limits leases within five miles of a university to be the same duration as the quarter or semester of that university or not to exceed six months. Apartments near universities are notorious for unfairly forcing the student renters into yearlong leases when the schools are on either quarters or semesters. This has caused many parents to pay for months of rent that the student does not require. A Student Rental Protection Law should be written that limits leases within five miles of a university to be the same duration as the quarter or semester of that university. Optionally, the law may allow the maximum to be no more than six months. In addition, the “Guaranty Agreement” signed by the parent should be legally binding for only one school time period per signing and not become permanent with open-ended obligations. This would remove the hardship on the student’s parents and provide a closer match to the time durations of the school, stopping scrupulous apartment owners.
18) The Louisiana DEQ should be mandated and reprimanded by the legislature for failure to enforce the noise laws as defined by said legislature. State laws clearly state that LADEQ is responsible for the control of noise pollution, yet they fail to act. Review of their budget and internet site is void of notices and cost to enforce their responsibility to regulate noise. I filed a complaint for their failure to regulate and control noise with the ombudsman two years ago and Louisiana DEQ has taken no action at this time.
19) The State Attorney General should be directed to answer questions from any plaintiff’s lawyer engaged in suits against a public identity about the subject of a Louisiana law’s clarity, not just questions directed from “public officials” as claimed by the current Attorney General.
20) Special interest groups should not be allowed to donate directly to a politician, but only to state and national parties, which are not to provide donor names to those receiving the money.
21) I believe all non-student, US citizens above 21 years old and for-profit business must pay a minimum income tax of 5% if they have an income. If they have no income, they pay no “income” tax.
22) I believe cumulated total sales taxes should never be allowed to exceed 10% and food, vitamins, medical care, and medicine should be exempt from all sales taxes.
23) State unemployment insurance should be limited to six months and validation of job searches are to be provided as they were done in past years. This would reduce the tendency to “ride” the unemployment insurance payments with no real effort to find a job.
24) I believe privatizing of critical government services should not be allowed and should be blocked by legislation. Public employees should not be treated any different that the private sector in respect of health insurance and retirement. No public employee is more special than the people they serve.
I am sure, given time, I will think of other laws and changes that should be made in Louisiana to help use have a better quality of life. You may contact me, ask me questions at
Related:
Louisiana State House Candidates
Murphy Background Information & Political Views LA St. House 16
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