Pelican Policy

Small Gains In Reading, Still A Ways to Go

This week the Louisiana Department of Education released the annual Fall 2022 Reading Report, which is a summary of the results of reading screeners for public school students enrolled in kindergarten through third grade. Louisiana state law mandates administration of the screener in the first 30 days of each school year and public reporting of...

By Erin Bendily

Five Year Anniversary of Criminal Justice Reform in Louisiana

It’s been five years since the ten bills, colloquially known as criminal justice reform (CJR), passed the legislature and were implemented with bipartisan support. These new laws created alternatives to prison for non-violent offenders and programs to make the transition from prison back into society (known as reentry) more successful. Both had the goal of...

By Jamie Tairov

Louisiana Needs To Join the Flat Tax Revolution

It’s time for Louisiana to join the flat tax revolution. Four states passed a flat personal income tax this year after only four did over the 100 years, bringing the total to 14 states that have or will soon have flat income taxes. Flattening income taxes provides more opportunities for people to flourish, but eliminating them...

By Vance Ginn

Louisiana Economic Situation November 2022

Key Point: Louisiana’s labor market looks okay on the surface, but the labor force is 16,613 (-0.8%) below the COVID-related shutdown in February 2020, and private sector employment is 35,900 (-2.3%) below then. Labor Market: A job is the best path to prosperity as work brings dignity, hope, and purpose to people through the life-long...

By Vance Ginn

Choosing The Gatekeepers

Louisiana once again finds itself atop yet another “naughty” list. Currently, Louisiana has the largest number of occupations regulated by boards on which private sector members are recommended by a trade association. Choosing the Gatekeepers: How Special Interests Control Licensing Board Nominations is a new report from Pacific Legal Foundation. The report considered seventeen occupations...

By Sarah Harbison

Antitrust or Anti-Consumer?

Last year, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the Open App Markets Act. The act is an attempt to prevent Apple and Google, who operate App Store and Google Play, from engaging in alleged “anti-competitive practices.” There are several concerns with the act, beginning with the fact that...

By John Kay

Louisiana’s Taxes Need An Overhaul

Originally published in Center Square Louisiana has many of the right characteristics for families to flourish. This includes abundant natural resources and thriving petrochemical, oil and gas, and tourism sectors. In fact, New Orleans was recently ranked as the 9th fastest-growing city for 2022 by the American Growth Project. They note that the worker shortages...

By Vance Ginn

Statement: Department of Education Releases K-12 School Performance Scores

For media inquiries please contact Chris Lowery (225) 726-1822 or chris@pelicaninstitute.org. BATON ROUGE–CEO of the Pelican Institute, Daniel Erspamer, released the following statement after the Department of Education released their K-12 school ratings. The release comes just days after BESE rejected a proposal that would’ve made the ratings more transparent: “When Louisiana’s accountability system isn’t transparent,...

By Chris Lowery

Tragedy for Children and Youth in State Care: It’s Not Just DCFS

The Office of Juvenile Justice (OJJ), which is charged with the rehabilitation of 13-18 year olds involved in the justice system, has been plagued with issues for years. The agency oversees youth incarcerated in secure care facilities, or jails, as well as youth that are housed in community or group homes. OJJ has four secure...

By Jamie Tairov

School Choice Wins Big in National Elections: Next Up, Louisiana

Last week, all eyes were on the national TV networks’ blue and red maps as the 2022 midterm election results came in. For those looking for a big partisan shake-up, it turned out to be a dud. But for those watching with an eye toward school choice, the results were more than promising. Voters overwhelmingly...

By Erin Bendily

It’s Not All Roses with Louisiana Licensing Laws

Nearly one third of American workers need an occupational license to do their jobs. Since the 1950s, the number of jobs requiring a license has increased five times, with most of the growth coming from an increase in the number of existing professions that now require a license that didn’t require one before. While licensing...

By Jamie Tairov

Statement: BESE Rejects Accountability Measure

For media inquiries please contact Chris Lowery (225) 726-1822 or chris@pelicaninstitute.org. BATON ROUGE– CEO of the Pelican Institute, Daniel Erspamer, released the following statement after BESE board members voted to reject a proposal that would’ve made Louisiana’s K-12 accountability system more transparent: “BESE failed Louisiana’s kids today, siding with a deeply entrenched education status quo to...

By Chris Lowery

Planes, trains, and…Facebook?

The debate around whether government should regulate social media platforms centers on whether these companies are “common carriers”—that is, “a person or a commercial enterprise that transports passengers or goods for a fee and establishes that their service is open to the general public.” Historically, in American law, examples of this are railroads, airlines, ferries,...

By John Kay

Why Aren’t Schools Using Their Funding to Help Kids Prepare for College and Careers?

Last week, the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) shared a document with members of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) showing large sums of state and federal funding that is going unspent or has been declined by schools for critical high school programming. This is funding that could be paying for students to...

By Erin Bendily

We believe every Louisianan should
have the opportunity to flourish.

Small Gains In Reading, Still A Ways to Go

Small Gains In Reading, Still A Ways to Go

Five Year Anniversary of Criminal Justice Reform in Louisiana

Five Year Anniversary of Criminal Justice Reform in Louisiana

Louisiana Needs To Join the Flat Tax Revolution

Louisiana Needs To Join the Flat Tax Revolution

Louisiana Economic Situation November 2022

Louisiana Economic Situation November 2022

Choosing The Gatekeepers

Choosing The Gatekeepers

Antitrust or Anti-Consumer?

Antitrust or Anti-Consumer?

Louisiana’s Taxes Need An Overhaul

Louisiana’s Taxes Need An Overhaul

Statement: Department of Education Releases K-12 School Performance Scores

Statement: Department of Education Releases K-12 School Performance Scores

Tragedy for Children and Youth in State Care: It’s Not Just DCFS

Tragedy for Children and Youth in State Care: It’s Not Just DCFS

School Choice Wins Big in National Elections: Next Up, Louisiana

School Choice Wins Big in National Elections: Next Up, Louisiana

It’s Not All Roses with Louisiana Licensing Laws

It’s Not All Roses with Louisiana Licensing Laws

Statement: BESE Rejects Accountability Measure

Statement: BESE Rejects Accountability Measure

Planes, trains, and…Facebook?

Planes, trains, and…Facebook?

Why Aren’t Schools Using Their Funding to Help Kids Prepare for College and Careers?

Why Aren’t Schools Using Their Funding to Help Kids Prepare for College and Careers?

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