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The oil spill and the revenue shortfall dominated discussions during the 2010 legislative session. Yet, those discussions yielded little more than hand wringing and vented frustration. Louisiana remains on a collision course with economic hazards on both fronts. The session did bring a few hard-won reforms to the state’s education systems, both at the K-12 […]
The state’s operating budget is out of balance for this year, severe cutbacks to essential services are proposed for next year and further major cuts are projected for the following year. As state budget officials seek ways to balance the budget without either raising taxes or severely cutting back on services provided to citizens, particularly […]
Legislative committees responsible for redrawing voting districts have announced plans to invoke an exception to Louisiana’s open meetings law and hold a two-day, closed meeting to receive information relative to the law and history of redistricting. Given the significance of the 2010 redistricting cycle for Louisiana and the potential for major shifts of power nationally […]
The 2009 regular legislative session was the short version of a Louisiana Legislative Session, which lasts 60 calendar days and focuses primarily on fiscal issues. While development of the budget did dominate much of the debate this year, the fiscal focus was limited to ordinary approaches to budget cutting and put off for another year […]
Since the last census count in 2000, Louisiana has lost a significant amount of its populace to other states. The state’s inability to maintain population or grow as fast as its peers in the new millennium, combined with the devastating storms of 2005, has all but ensured the loss of one congressional seat in 2010 […]
Gov. Bobby Jindal has vetoed more budgetary earmarks than any governor has in the past. After striking through $16 million of line-item amendments for legislators’ local projects, around $39 million in local earmarks was left in the operating budget.
For all the reform talk and promises made by the governor and legislators when they were candidates, the first regular session of this Legislature has closed with little in the way of substantial reform. The improvements that were made were overshadowed by the extravagant legislative pay raise members passed for themselves and the governor’s refusal […]