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After a hard-fought battle by the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA), a waiver of the state’s cost share for rebuilding projects finally was passed by Congress and signed by the President last week. The LRA, the Legislature and the administration now are exploring the state’s options for using the $775 million in Community Development Block Grant […]
Two legislative proposals gaining rapid momentum this session could have devastating effects on Louisiana’s public records law. While House Bills 964 and 841 focus on entirely different topics, both have the effect of undermining transparency in government. In 2002, Louisiana ranked among the top five states in granting citizens access to public records, according to […]
“Governmental Ethics Laws in Louisiana: Public Trust or Private Gain?,” September 1995 (a collaborative report by the Bureau of Governmental Research and PAR) “White Paper on Governmental Ethics and Constitutional Revision,” September 2003
The Recovery School District (RSD), responsible for rebuilding and reforming New Orleans’ failing public schools, has overcome numerous obstacles. Although progress has been slower than hoped for or expected, reforms are under way. Current efforts to dismantle the RSD and return management of New Orleans schools to the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) are misguided. […]
The Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) and the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget recently fought a turf battle over funding decisions, and the wrong side won. The full Legislature now has a final chance to salvage the integrity of the planning process the state has followed thus far in allocating billions in federal recovery aid. […]
Video recordings and Internet video broadcasts of all Senate meetings should be made available to the public online at no charge. An attempt to require this basic open government policy, already in place for the House, failed to pass during the December special session. If the Senate begins now, it could make progress toward improved […]
It was apparent from the moment it was announced that this special session of the Legislature was poorly timed and failed to allow for sufficient planning and debate. Fortunately, the possibility of using most of the state’s recovery-related windfall revenues to improve its long-term prospects remains intact. Unfortunately, $239 million in unnecessary tax credits for […]