NEW ORLEANS - The public health and economic toll the coronavirus pandemic caused are well documented. Perhaps less understood are the social impacts. According to a report from Pew Research Center, young adults in the United States were more likely…
BATON ROUGE – Committees on opposite sides of the Louisiana state Capitol went in different directions Wednesday on bills meant to prevent auto insurance companies from setting rates based on factors other than the customer’s driving record. The Senate Insurance…
BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana House voted to divert hundreds of millions of dollars in automobile taxes from the general fund to a fund dedicated to road and bridge construction. Members also voted Monday to ask the southeast Louisiana parishes…
BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Senate Education Committee agreed Thursday to call for bigger raises for teachers and school support personnel than the state education board’s recommended spending plan includes. The main state spending bill is $5.6 million short of…
BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana House endorsed a pair of bills Monday that would cut tax rates for some corporations while eliminating a major corporate tax break for paying federal income taxes. The tax swap is part of a broader…
(The Center Square) – A Louisiana Senate committee advanced legislation Wednesday that supporters said would ensure money collected for violations of coastal permits is dedicated to coastal restoration and protection. An attorney for parishes that are suing oil companies over…
BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana House's tax-writing committee narrowly advanced most of a complex tax overhaul Tuesday that even skeptics called “bold,” though one piece of the package didn’t quite make the cut. House Bill 526 and the associated bills…
BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana House's tax-writing committee advanced without objection Monday competing bills to reduce state income tax rates while cutting tax breaks to make up the difference in state revenue. The House Ways and Means Committee also shot…
BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana House's tax policy committee voted unanimously Thursday to make it more difficult to enact and maintain state tax breaks. Under House Bill 202 by Rep. Stuart Bishop, R-Lafayette, creating a new tax exemption, deduction, rebate or credit…
BATON ROUGE – A Louisiana Senate committee advanced without objection Thursday a proposal to extend the life of the state’s film subsidy program, which may be a tough sell for lawmakers looking to trim or eliminate tax incentives. The motion picture…
BATON ROUGE – A Louisiana House committee has advanced a bill to create a “regulatory sandbox” for companies that use blockchain technology. Blockchain is a type of database for storing digital information, such as cryptocurrency transactions. With his House Bill 482,…
BATON ROUGE – A Louisiana House committee advanced a possible constitutional amendment Tuesday to create a single statewide entity to collect sales taxes. House Bill 199 is the session’s top priority for Republican House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, who is the bill's…
BATON ROUGE – Gov. John Bel Edwards announced his agenda Thursday for the legislative session that starts Monday, including his support for making kindergarten mandatory for every Louisiana student. The estimated cost of the change to the state’s multibillion education budget…
BATON ROUGE – A Louisiana task force voted Thursday to recommend using federal stimulus money to raise the balance of the fund that pays for unemployment benefits to $750 million. The fund has been exhausted by unprecedented demand during the COVID-19-related…
BATON ROUGE – A majority of Louisiana residents favors raising the state’s gasoline tax, though most rather would see the additional money spent improving existing infrastructure instead of building new projects, according to a new survey. Participants in the 2021 Louisiana…
BATON ROUGE – Almost one-third of Louisiana residents, including almost half of the state’s Republicans, don’t want to get vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a new poll. LSU’s Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs conducts the annual Louisiana Survey.…
BATON ROUGE – Colleges and universities have increased fees charged to students as lawmakers cut state spending on higher education, adding thousands of dollars to the cost of getting a degree, according to a new Louisiana Legislative Auditor report. Higher…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana’s state economic development department estimates the tax incentives it oversees will be worth almost $473 million during the fiscal year that begins July 1. That estimate does not represent proposed state spending. Instead, it’s an estimate…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana lawmakers should dedicate all of the tax proceeds from legal sports betting to early childhood education, a state commission recommends in a new report. The Louisiana Early Childhood Care and Education Commission is urging the state to immediately…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana has a long way to go until its economy resumes pre-pandemic economic growth, which wasn’t particularly strong to begin with, the Louisiana Legislature’s top economist said Thursday. “I’ve gotten a lot more optimistic in the last…
BATON ROUGE – Though state government cannot dictate how Louisiana municipalities and parishes use their shares of billions in federal stimulus money, legislators plan to remember how local leaders spent the money when the locals come to Baton Rouge seeking…
BATON ROUGE – Every operating river-adjacent Louisiana casino took in less money last month than the month before and during the same month last year, according to the newest report to the Louisiana Gaming Control Board. The state’s river-adjacent casinos collectively…
BATON ROUGE – With billions in federal stimulus dollars headed to Louisiana, deciding how much money to spend and how to spend it during this year’s two-month fiscal legislative session will be more complex than usual, members of the State…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana residents can schedule an appointment to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at one of 628 providers this week, the Louisiana Department of Health announced Monday. That total doesn’t include community vaccination events happening around the state this…
BATON ROUGE – New money coming into the state, including federal stimulus and disaster recovery dollars, could help Louisiana seize an opportunity to be more competitive in international trade, a legislative subcommittee heard Thursday. “We’re not doing as much as…
BATON ROUGE – U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 ranking of the best states to live in has Louisiana last for the second year in a row in an analysis that looks at things like healthcare, education and opportunity. The…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana residents who are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine can schedule an appointment with one of 618 providers this week, the state health department announced Monday. That’s in addition to community vaccination events being held around…
BATON ROUGE– A new business partnership is strongly considering investing $800 million in Gramercy, officials announced Friday. The project could spur the creation of hundreds of permanent jobs and more than 2,000 temporary construction jobs, officials said. A final decision…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry announced Thursday he signed off on a deal to resolve litigation involving an oil-and-gas company and coastal parishes alleging environmental damage. The Louisiana Legislature would have to create the framework to implement…
BATON ROUGE – Days after announcing their intention to “fundamentally change” the state’s tax structure, the Louisiana Legislature’s top two elected leaders said centralizing the state’s tax collections is their biggest goal for the upcoming legislative session. “That’s our big ask…
BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana State Bond Commission approved up to $300 million in borrowing Thursday for construction projects. The bonds will fund about $288 million in lines of credit, of which $250 million is for state projects, $29 million…
NEW ORLEANS – In hopes of bringing high-speed wireless internet to unserved areas, a Louisiana legislative task force agreed Tuesday to recommend auctioning off much of a spectrum previously reserved for public safety. The task force included in its report…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana hasn’t had to borrow as much money as was feared to keep the state’s unemployment benefits trust fund afloat, but employers still could face higher taxes if a revenue solution isn’t found during the legislative session,…
BATON ROUGE – Gov. John Bel Edwards has requested a presidential emergency declaration in response to winter weather that has left at least three people dead and tens of thousands without electricity and water. Requested federal assistance includes commodities and…
BATON ROUGE – The federal government has proposed building a levee system that could give residents of seven southeast Louisiana parishes the same level…
BATON ROUGE – Offshore oil exploration can go hand-in-hand with President Joe Biden’s stated goals of reducing carbon emissions and fighting climate change, Louisiana officials argued Wednesday. State government and business leaders said they are deeply concerned about the federal…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana is getting $26.7 million as part of a $366 million project to restore coastal marshland and defend against hurricanes, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority announced Tuesday. The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, or RESTORE Council,…
BATON ROUGE – A group of Louisiana voting-rights advocates are urging lawmakers to commit to four principles organizers say will help to ensure a “fair” redistricting process. After the federal government’s once-a-decade population census, states create new political boundaries that…
BATON ROUGE - A coalition of 13 environmental and community groups has come out against a planned $1.3 billion expansion of Shintech facilities in Iberville and West Baton Rouge parishes. The groups said the projects will increase cancer-causing pollution in Black…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana officials have provided COVID-19 vaccines to 406 providers across all 64 parishes this week, Gov. John Bel Edwards’ office said Monday. Residents who are at least 70 years old are eligible. Vaccine supplies are limited and…
BATON ROUGE – Insurers have paid or reserved $7.7 billion on claims in Louisiana through the end of 2020 from hurricanes Laura, Delta and Zeta, which represents the first measure of damage from all three storms, Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon…
BATON ROUGE – A proposal to simplify how Louisiana taxes oil and gas has drawn opposition from industry groups who say the changes could hurt natural gas producers. Louisiana’s severance tax on oil – the amount the state charges on…
BATON ROUGE – In response to the Biden administration suspending new oil and gas leases on federal land for 60 days, oil and gas companies in the south and southwest warned that doing so would impact hundreds of thousands of…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana’s casino revenue was down more than 21 percent in December compared to December 2019, according to the newest state report. Every property but one took in less money than during the previous December, continuing the downward…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana’s economy likely won’t return to pre-pandemic job growth until 2023, the Legislature’s chief economist said Tuesday. “Pre-COVID growth rate was mediocre or lethargic at best,” said Greg Albrecht of the Legislative Fiscal Office. Louisiana’s Revenue Estimating…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana’s state government should not implement a strict crackdown on businesses that misclassify their employees as independent contractors, business advocates said Thursday. Rules regarding worker classification are confusing, particularly for small-business owners, advocates said. “A lot of…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana is in line to receive an estimated $331.1 million for higher education through the most recent COVID-19 federal aid package, although the exact amount and the rules about how the money can be spent have not…
BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) posted Monday a list of 107 pharmacies in 51 parishes where some of the state’s limited supply of COVID-19 vaccine doses are available by appointment only. Louisiana residents who are at least…
BATON ROUGE – November was another slow month for Louisiana’s casino sector, which was struggling even before the COVID-19 pandemic and this year’s record-breaking hurricane season. Diamond Jacks in Bossier City closed permanently in October. Hurricane Laura heavily damaged Isle…
BATON ROUGE – Personal income in Louisiana fell more than the rest of the nation’s during the third quarter of the year as federal pandemic relief dwindled, according to a federal report released Thursday. State personal income fell 13.8 percent…
