BATON ROUGE – Louisiana’s fiscal health before the coronavirus hit was dismal, and the state is likely to come out of the current financial crisis even worse, a new report says. Louisiana’s elected officials have made repeated financial decisions that…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana has regained more than half of the jobs it had lost since the low point of the pandemic-related recession, the Louisiana Workforce Commission reported Friday. The state has gained 133,400 jobs since April, according to preliminary…
BATON ROUGE – The federal government has granted Louisiana a $1.2 billion line of credit for flood mitigation, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Thursday. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is providing the funding to support the flood mitigation…
BATON ROUGE – Every casino in Louisiana took in less money in August than during August 2019, according to the latest revenue report made public Thursday. Every casino but one took in less money last month than the month before.…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana legislators are hoping to find a way to avoid the higher business taxes and fees that could kick in next year to replenish the state unemployment insurance trust fund. Employers pay taxes to support the fund…
BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana State Bond Commission on Thursday approved 61 local tax elections that will appear on voters’ December ballots, amid discussions about whether commission members should get involved in the policy debates behind those proposals. The commission…
BATON ROUGE – Hurricane Laura caused about $1.6 billion in agriculture and forestry losses in Louisiana, more than hurricanes Katrina and Rita combined, according to a preliminary estimate. Laura caused about $525.4 million in damage to Louisiana farmers and $1.1…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana legislators asked Monday if a program meant to help small-business owners with COVID-19-related expenses could be streamlined. Lawmakers created the Main Street Recovery Grant Program with $275 million allocated through the federal CARES Act. Business owners…
BATON ROUGE – The federal program meant to help workers who lost wages due to the COVID-19 pandemic and response has ended. The White House authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency to spend up to $44 billion to add $300…
BATON ROUGE – Hurricane Laura caused significant but not catastrophic damage to oil and gas infrastructure in southwest Louisiana, officials said Wednesday. Restoring electricity and helping workers return home are bigger concerns, they said. “This has been a tremendous hit…
BATON ROUGE - Hotel job losses in Louisiana will number 54,182 this year, out of a total of 120,404 hotel jobs in the state, according to projections by the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Hotel job losses and employee furloughs…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana’s Republican legislative majority and Democratic governor couldn’t agree on how to safely hold an election during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the decision may be out of their hands. Three Louisiana voters, the state chapter of the…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana’s response to Hurricane Laura likely will cost more than $700 million, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Wednesday. If spending reaches that threshold, the state’s share of the cost would be 10 percent, with the federal government…
BATON ROUGE - Taxpayers in Louisiana turn over 9.9 percent of their income per capita to state and local governments, the 20th highest percentage among the 50 states, according to an analysis by the website 24/7 Wall St. State residents…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana will stay in “phase two” of the White House-approved restrictions meant to control the spread of COVID-19 for at least two additional weeks, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Wednesday. Crowds will remain limited to 50 people,…
BATON ROUGE – Casino revenue in Louisiana was down about 10 percent last month compared to last July, though the Baton Rouge market was up almost 5 percent, according to state regulators’ most recent report. The state’s gaming sector was…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana Civil Service leaders on Thursday defended approving $60 million in pay raises for state workers amid the COVID-19-related downturn. Legislators had inserted language into the primary state spending bill to hold back the planned raises until…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Thursday he has asked the federal government to pick up a greater share of the cost of state efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Louisiana has exceeded the threshold that…
BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Workforce Commission has begun the process of borrowing money from the federal government to replenish the state’s unemployment trust fund, LWC Secretary Ava Dejoie said Friday. The fund currently stands at about $245 million, compared…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana legislators on Friday rapped Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration for allowing $60 million in state employee pay raises to go forward during the COVID-19-driven economic downturn. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne said the State Civil Service…
BATON ROUGE – During Friday’s meeting of the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget, which includes members of the state House of Representatives and Senate, State Treasurer John Schroder discussed the Main Street Recovery Grant Program which reimburses small businesses…
BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Legislature has created a study group to look at centralizing the state’s sales tax collection system. The current decentralized system is difficult to navigate, business owners and advocates say. But as study group members and…
BATON ROUGE – About 86% of public schools in Louisiana are either operating or intend to operate a hybrid learning model combining in-person and online learning, state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley said Thursday. Conversely, about 69 percent of private…
BATON ROUGE – While the details about how President Donald Trump’s new unemployment benefits proposal will work are unclear, it’s no substitute for an official aid package from Congress, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Tuesday. “Nobody – not the president,…
BATON ROUGE – Local officials in Louisiana want to retain the ability to audit local taxpayers if the state moves to a more centralized sales tax collection system. State legislators this year created a board to study the issue and…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana oil and gas leaders are asking for federal help to get through the worst downturn the state’s industry has seen since the 1980s. In April, an oversupply of oil combined with crashing demand amid the COVID-19…
BATON ROUGE – A Baton Rouge judge on Thursday sided with Gov. John Bel Edwards in a lawsuit seeking to overturn his executive order closing barrooms, requiring masks and limiting indoor gatherings to 50 people to control the spread of…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana paid out $554.1 million in food benefits from March through June, up almost 40 percent from the same four months last year, the state Department of Children and Family Services says. Officials say applications have returned…
BATON ROUGE – Tax changes approved this year will reduce state taxes by about $20.4 million next fiscal year, according to the forecast adopted Thursday. About $15.8 million in those reduced taxes would come out of the state general fund,…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has asked the state’s congressional delegation to try to ensure the federal government's next stimulus and aid package includes shoring up states’ unemployment trust funds so tax increases aren't imposed on businesses.…
