| Good Morning, The Louisiana Legislature is rolling into its last week. The 2022 session must adjourn by 6 p.m. Monday. The bills that authorize the spending for ordinary expenses and construction projects have already cleared the legislative process and sit on the governor’s desk. Legislation that would prohibit transgender athletes from participating in school sports as something other than the gender on their birth certificates also has been sent to the governor, setting up the possibility of another veto override session. While legislators and the administration have received high marks for sending much of this year’s largesse into one-time investments in various infrastructure projects and to pay down debts, they also set aside $105 million in state taxpayer revenues for back-home deals with no statewide purpose, like a splash pad in St. Charles Parish, three churches in St. Martin Parish, civic association in Jefferson and a golf course in Caddo. Also sitting on the governor’s desk is legislation that breezed through process and would create a loan product for payday lenders. The “Louisiana Credit Access Loan Act” would allow lenders to offer installment loans worth up to $1,500 over a three to 12-month term, with an annual interest rate of up to 36% and a monthly “maintenance fee” worth up to 13% of the original loan amount. Loans over $400 could also incur a $50 underwriting fee. The proposal would cap finance charges at 100% of the original loan amount – meaning lenders could charge up to $1,500 in fees on a $1,500 loan, for a total repayment of $3,000. Supporters say cash-strapped consumers would find it easier to acquire money when needed. Opponents, including one Gov. John Bel Edwards’ first backers, call it a predatory product and that would allow payday lenders to make larger, longer-term loans with sky-high fees that could trap low-income Louisiana residents in cycles of debt. Both the House and Senate have several hundred bills to vote on this week, like doing away with the recent “Raise the Age” law to send 17-year-old suspects to adult prisons. Gun rights measures that were thought to have easy going may find passage a little tougher in the wake of the shooting deaths of school children in Uvalde, Texas. The killings, close on the heels of a massacre in a Buffalo, N.Y. supermarket, has raised passions for many lawmakers. About a dozen proposals that would loosen gun acquisitions and restrictions are on the agenda for either a House or Senate vote. The two bills most likely to attract attention is the measure that would allow adults to conceal carry firearms without first acquiring training or a permit. Another bill would keep local, parish and state authorities from enforcing gun restrictions passed by the federal government. As always, check throughout the day for the latest Louisiana political news at theadvocate.com/politics or NOLA.com/politics and on Twitter at @MarkBallardCNB, @tegbridges, @samkarlin, @blakepater, @WillSentell. Here are a dozen articles, commentaries and editorials that will catch you up for the week to come. One last item: Thank you to our subscribers. Your support means a great deal to us. If you're not yet a subscriber, we’ve got a special offer you can check out here. – Mark Ballard | 