“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 […]
When it comes to education legislation this session, the stars of the show are the proposals to create universal Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) to provide more school choice options for parents. Those bills continue to move through the process, and we will have a more complete look at those shortly. But in the meantime, there […]
As the special session on crime got underway, CABL’s RESET Louisiana partnership with PAR and the Committee of 100 urged lawmakers to make decisions based on data and best practices and not to back pedal on the criminal justice reforms of 2017. During this session lawmakers passed about 20 bills that do a variety of […]
As lawmakers start work in a special session called by Gov. Jeff Landry to address crime, RESET Louisiana urges the House and Senate to make decisions based on data and best practices known to reduce violent crime rather than backpedaling on reform. Protecting citizens is one of the highest priorities of any government. Crime is […]
The Landry administration recently released the reports of its various transition councils and there is a lot to be encouraged about within the pages of their recommendations. While the reports are short on detail, they do provide a framework for the direction the state’s new leadership wants to go and it suggests there are opportunities […]