| By Jessica Williams | Capitol News Bureau Editor |
Hemp dispute: Competing efforts to either dramatically curtail or lightly tweak the state's consumable hemp industry cleared House and Senate committees last week. Lawmakers who favor tighter hemp restrictions say the plant gets users high and is more widely available than they suspected. Sam Karlin has the story. Risk Rating 3.0?: FEMA's new system for setting flood insurance premiums, Risk Rating 2.0, needs more work than expected and will be changed, a federal official said last week. Louisiana's congressional delegation has long complained that the new system is unfair to Louisiana, Mark Ballard reports. Murder ballads: Violent song lyrics would no longer be used as evidence in trials under a bill that cleared a House committee last week, James Finn reports. The ban would not apply to songs that reference actual crimes. Supporters say the bill is aimed at protecting artistic expression. | 