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Thursday the appropriations committee, in its continuing effort to fill the hole in the health care budget for next year, cut a proposed $5 million increase to fund the growth at the state’s two-year colleges. While options are few, this is one which would have long run consequences. A recent PAR publication analyzed the significant […]
It came as no surprise that the legislative auditor’s recently released audit of tax assessment practices found that assessors are doing a poor job of valuing property. This is only the latest in a long history of studies that have come to the same conclusion. While tax assessment equity has improved since PAR’s first look […]
PAR Recommends Higher Education Reforms Posted: 04/29/2003 Expanding the community and technical college system and upgrading LSU to national competitiveness are among the reforms that would boost higher education’s impact on the Louisiana economy, PAR reports in its “White Paper on Higher Education,” released today. There is no quick fix for the state’s unorthodox and […]
The voting procedure used to select legislative auditor candidates runs counter to the Open Meetings Law. On two separate occasions in the past week, the search committee used secret ballots. The law states that “Each public body shall be prohibited from utilizing any manner of proxy voting procedure, secret balloting, or any other means to […]
Serious consideration should be given this legislative session to moving the state away from its current method of electing judges toward a merit-based system for selecting judges at the district court level and above. New data on judicial campaign finance and election results through the 2002 elections confirm past findings. PAR consistently finds troubling results […]
PAR Says Accountability Program Faces Major Challenges Posted: 04/08/2003 Important decisions must be made this year that could reshape the state’s School and District Accountability Program, the Public Affairs Research Council (PAR) said in a report released today. The third in a series entitled “Close-up on Education Accountability” focused on three major areas of concern […]
PAR Elects Officers For 2003-2004 Posted: 04/07/2003 EDITOR’S NOTE: PLEASE FIND ATTACHED A LIST OF THE 2003-2004 PAR BOARD OF DIRECTORS. YOU MAY WANT TO HIGHLIGHT PEOPLE FROM YOUR COMMUNITY. George Nelson, Jr., President/CEO of Louisiana Companies, Inc., was elected chairman of the Public Affairs Research Council (PAR) Board of Directors at the organization=s annual […]
This is the first report in PAR’s four-part white paper series to inform the issue debates of the 2003 gubernatorial and legislative campaigns. The white papers will address the topics of higher education, state finance, K-12 education, and governmental ethics/constitutional revisions Executive Summary Higher education has the potential to become a more substantial driver of […]
PAR 2003 Legislative Guide Update Now Available Posted: 03/28/2003 The Public Affairs Research Council (PAR) today announced the release of its 2003 Update to the “PAR Guide to the Louisiana Legislature.” The update contains pictures and biographical information on legislators elected since PAR’s “Guide to the 2000 Louisiana Legislature” was published. It also includes up-to-date […]