PAR’s mission is to be Louisiana’s independent voice offering solutions to crucial issues for the betterment of our state through accurate, objective research and focusing public attention on those solutions.
PAR Coastal Project
PAR launched a new initiative providing ongoing fiscal oversight of the state’s spending on coastal restoration and protection and its job impacts. PAR will identify issues concerning fiscal policy, transparency and the decision making process but will not cover environmental or engineering evaluations.
Sunshine Headquarters
This portal is designed to serve as a guide and resource to citizens about Louisiana’s Sunshine Laws. Statutes that require government agencies to do their work in public are called “sunshine laws.” These laws typically govern public records and meetings. Each state has their own sunshine laws. Federal government agencies must follow the “Federal Freedom of Information Act.”
The Budget & Taxes
To help Louisiana’s citizens and decision-makers better understand the state’s budget deficit, PAR has developed a hub containing links to important organizations and academic resources. Exclusive PAR reports and commentary on the 2019 regular and extraordinary sessions can also be found here.
Guest column: In settling old debts, governor and Legislature are doing something right
When Louisiana deposited $95 million into an escrow account to pay victims of a 1983 flood, the state knocked another debt off its books and continued a recent, noteworthy trend of settling a backlog of obligations that stretched over years.
Gov. John Bel Edwards and lawmakers have used a short-term influx of cash to pay down hurricane recovery and flood protection debts and to address a list of legal judgments pending against the state.
PAR releases guide to proposed Constitutional Amendments
The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana (PAR) has released the PAR Guide to the 2022 Constitutional Amendments.
Every time proposed amendments are on the ballot, PAR releases a guide that provides the text of each one, as well as an explanation of what it seeks to accomplish. The guide also includes a clear statement of what yes and no votes would mean, as well as the arguments for and against each proposed amendment. There’s information on what the current situation is, and any background on the issue the amendment seeks to address.