PAR Reports

Louisiana Constitutional Reform Part II: An Enduring Fiscal Framework

PART II: An Enduring Fiscal Framework provides critical background information and recommendations for addressing potential reforms of the tax and spending portions of the state Constitution.

This PART II report follows PAR’s previously published PART I: Getting the Foundation Right, which examined the best guiding principles in making a state constitution.

Louisiana Constitutional Reform Part I: Getting the Foundation Right. is the first of a two-part project to provide guidance to those seeking to reform the Louisiana Constitution.

This report initiates a discussion of constitutional principles, including the purpose and function of a constitution, as well as more specific subject-matter guidelines regarding what an ideal constitution should contain. The principles and guidelines developed in Part I will set the stage for the in-depth analysis and recommendations that will come later in Part II. The report is intended to stimulate a discussion about what we should want, and not want, in our constitution.

The report provides specific recommendations for maintaining accountability and transparency in the financial, budgeting, planning and contracting aspects of state coastal management. The New Louisiana Purchase: Building Trust with Sound Coastal Investment Policies serves as an educational guide for citizens who want to understand these complicated issues as well as a blueprint for policymakers and stakeholders seeking high standards and best practices.

Louisiana will receive billions of dollars for coastal restoration and protection over the next few decades. Will those funds be spent strategically in a way that encourages the nation’s trust or will they be an opportunity squandered? The New Louisiana Purchase contains several specific policy recommendations to keep the state from heading down the wrong path.

Opportunity is knocking for Louisiana. The report makes the case for why innovation matters in Louisiana and focuses on two major elements: the intellectual infrastructure in our universities and the mechanisms for knowledge transfer into the economy. The report examines the state of university research and development in Louisiana and makes recommendations to state leaders, higher education officials and businesses to foster a better environment for innovation.

A New Safety Net: The Risk and Reward of Louisiana’s Charity Hospital Privatizations examines this controversial and complex health care reform. The report explains this historic transformation and evaluates the advantages and disadvantages for the state, the communities and the healthcare system.

A special section provides a deal-by-deal breakdown of the new agreements affecting most regions of the state.