To bring jobs and opportunity back to Louisiana, the state needs to ensure a friendly, fair, and legally consistent legal and regulatory environment. Louisiana’s history of litigation abuse and government red tape continues to stifle opportunities for job seekers and working families to find good-paying jobs as businesses flee Louisiana for states with fairer, more predictable policies. Louisiana’s burdensome regulations and state government overreach only hinders our ability to create quality jobs for hard-working Louisiana families. Regulatory reform that limit strict government oversight is necessary to prevent jobs and opportunity from fleeing Louisiana to neighboring states currently experiencing economic booms.
Louisiana’s 1974 constitution has outlived its usefulness. Since its ratification more than forty years ago, the Louisiana constitution has more than doubled its size through the amendment process. It contains over 72,000 words and voters have approved 203 amendments to date. By contrast, the U.S. Constitution, which was ratified in 1789 and provides a framework...
Originally Appeared in the Center Square For years, frivolous lawsuits levied by a few coastal parishes against hundreds of oil and gas companies have created a chilling effect that has stopped investment and pushed countless jobs out of Louisiana. While Louisiana’s coastline is a vital resource that protects our state from natural disasters, these lawsuits...
Fresh off a decisive re-election victory, New Orleans Mayor, LaToya Cantrell has decided to begin “coordinated sweeps” to crack down on unregistered food vendors operating pop-up venues across the city. The city is attempting to generate tax revenue by cracking down on these entrepreneurs. New Orleans has misdiagnosed the problem and failed to realize that...
The Pelican Institute’s report shows that despite claims that the proposed Freeport-McMoRan settlement would help the coast, there will be questionable impact on coastal restoration. For media inquires contact Ryan Roberts at ryan@pelicaninstitute.org NEW ORLEANS– Lawsuits targeting oil and gas companies with the promise of bringing dollars for coastal restoration have had a chilling effect that...
There are fewer policy topics more talked about, and less understood than antitrust. Many Americans are aware that the government has from time to time broken up companies when they have amassed too much power, but how do we know when that line has been crossed? How should market power be balanced against benefits to consumers...
Last week, A new report from FreedomWorks Foundation came out grading all 50 states on the openness and transparency of their regulatory processes. While laws are passed through the legislative process, regulations are created by government agencies not always subject to check by the people, even though most go through a comment period or some...
It’s official. As of midnight on Thursday, July 15, 2021, the Louisiana legislature is heading into its first-ever veto session. Legislators will meet to consider the 28 bills passed this session that were subsequently vetoed by the governor. Among the bills vetoed are a fiscal transparency requirement for school boards, a bill that would allow...
Louisiana’s public records statutes are designed to facilitate, rather than hinder, public access to records. In enacting these statutes, the legislature recognized that the public has a right to know about the decisions and deliberations that are part of the policy-making process. Unfortunately, a bill that would annihilate public access to government records is currently...
Louisiana has a long history of boards and commissions that lock out competition and exert enormous political pressure. The board that oversees river boat pilots on the Mississippi River is the clearest example of a system that hinders true government reform that our state desperately needs. Never heard of the river boat pilot board? You’re...
Today, the Louisiana House and Government Affairs Committee passed House Bill 4, which will add checks and balances to Louisiana’s emergency declarations process. Pelican Institute CEO Daniel Erspamer released the following statement in response to the passage of the legislation: “Balancing executive power in Louisiana’s emergency declarations process has become one of the most consequential issues...
Louisiana’s business climate consistently ranks among the worst in the nation. The state’s heavy tax burden is already enough to stifle economic investment. Adding Louisiana’s long-standing reputation as a legal swampland further discourages the economic growth needed in the state. Furthermore, the state’s massive and inefficient regulatory environment serves as another major barrier to job...
Louisiana’s current legal and regulatory environment stifles opportunities for job seekers and working families as more and more businesses move out of state in search of places with fairer, more predictable policies. While Republican and Democratic lawmakers have avoided major reforms over the last two decades, the state’s business and legal climate has continued to...