Not Yet A Member? Join today to get instant access to exclusive content—before it hits the web.
A year after lawmakers passed the state budget in a frenzied final few minutes before theirdeadline, the Louisiana Legislature adopted a $49 billion compromise package of spending plansthis year with time to spare and no last-minute chaos in their three-month regular session.
Just as it appeared one awful public records exemption bill may be defeated for the current legislative session, another damaging exemption idea could take its place.
A boost to Louisiana’s state income projections will give lawmakers more money to spend over the next 14 months, even as the post-pandemic financial surge continues to taper off and a fiscal downturn edges ever closer.
The state budget crafted by the Louisiana House steers new money to public school programs at the expense of early childhood education, while maintaining the governor’s push to grow spending on state prisons and police.
Louisiana’s lawmakers have a significant opportunity to protect their constituents’ access to theinformation needed to hold public officials accountable and understand the decisions about howtheir tax dollars are used.
Education savings accounts are the newest, most expansive evolution of school choice programs in the United States, already adopted by several states and under consideration in many others, including Louisiana. The programs promise to revolutionize how K-12 education is structured, steering public tax dollars to private educational options for students.
Gov. Jeff Landry’s first set of budget recommendations as governor prioritizes increased spendingon Louisiana’s prison system and an expansion of the State Police force while keeping spending largely flat on most other programs and services.