There was a lot of discussion this year about calling a constitutional convention to overhaul Louisiana’s notoriously long, complicated, and overly-prescriptive state constitution. That effort eventually died due to session fatigue and other factors, but lawmakers’ desire to make changes to the constitution was evident in the number of constitutional amendments they filed during this […]
A year ago, the Council for A Better Louisiana started a new initiative to try to put together a comprehensive picture of how Louisiana is doing in important areas. It’s called The Louisiana Fact Book: Facts for the Future. One of the first reactions we got was, “Oh no, another list like all the others […]
The Council for A Better Louisiana’s list of 35 indicators designed to measure the overall wellbeing of Louisiana is trending slightly downward from this time last year. Compared to our release in August of 2023 the state is making progress on just under half of the indicators and losing ground on the same number. A […]
The takeaway from a recent story in the Washington Post is somewhat sobering. While it had earlier appeared that students were on the path to academic recovery after the education disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, new national research suggests that students are, in fact, falling farther behind. In Louisiana, that doesn’t seem to be […]
“So welcome to the jungle.” Those are the words of Revenue Secretary Richard Nelson speaking to lawmakers recently about the fiscal challenges that are just around the corner for Louisiana. While he talked about the difficulties of addressing the significant loss of revenue that will come from the expiration of temporary taxes, he also kicked […]
It’s fair to say the legislative session that just ended had more than its share of twists and turns. Legislation on property insurance passed. The constitutional convention didn’t. Lawmakers decided to forgo putting more than $700 million in a special savings account to spend it instead on a variety of major projects. And some issues […]
“The view that Louisiana’s chief executives have traditionally wielded greater political influence than their counterparts in other states is shared by most, if not all, students of Louisiana history.” That quote is from former governor Edwin Edwards in an article he wrote for the Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association a number of years ago. […]
State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley has unveiled a proposal for a new school and district accountability system for Louisiana schools. It represents a major change from what is in place now, but also a significant improvement. Most people know we have an accountability system for our public schools and have seen stories about the […]
The House of Representatives passed its version of the budget last week, and it included some discouraging cuts for teachers and early childhood education. While the prospects are good that most of that funding will be restored by the Senate, it is unfortunate that the Legislature is sending a disturbing message about the state’s support […]
This year state lawmakers have introduced a series of bills that, if passed, would greatly enhance the power of Louisiana’s governor to make political appointments. In a state where the governor currently makes appointments to hundreds of boards and commissions, the approval of these bills would represent an increase in gubernatorial power that is unprecedented […]