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.
Reform before the Storms: Can Louisiana’s New State Leaders Fix the Homeowners Insurance Crisis?
Reform before the Storms: Can Louisiana’s New State Leaders Fix the Homeowners Insurance Crisis?
While crime took center stage throughout the 2023 campaign cycle, the availability and rising cost of homeowners insurance was a close second. After a record 2020-2021 hurricane season, many insurance providers did not return to Louisiana. Over a dozen writers withdrew from the state or declared insolvency, creating a vacuum that the insurer of last...
REPORTS
Expanding Options Within Louisiana’s Electricity Market: Could Lower Electricity Bills Be on the Way?
Expanding Options Within Louisiana’s Electricity Market: Could Lower Electricity Bills Be on the Way?
Louisiana has struggled to keep people and businesses from leaving the state. Between July 2021 and July 2022, about 30,000 more people left than entered the state for the third most net outbound as a percentage in the country. The Pelican Institute recently released a bold tax reform plan that, combined with our full Comeback...
Union Contracts Trample Louisiana Public School Teachers’ and Employees’ Rights
Union Contracts Trample Louisiana Public School Teachers’ and Employees’ Rights
Baton Rouge, Louisiana – The United States and Louisiana Constitutions guarantee religious and political freedom to all citizens, but a new report from the Pelican Institute reveals that collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) between state teachers’ unions and local public school systems in Louisiana curtail the rights of school employees. And, incredibly, some agreements grant union...
Candidate Questionnaire 2023
Candidate Questionnaire 2023
Does your candidate support jobs and opportunities in Louisiana? Election Day 2023 is fast approaching. Join us in asking candidates if they support transformational change for Louisiana. Use our candidate questionnaire as a resource.
Government Cronyism Exposed in Louisiana Coastal Drilling Lawsuit
Government Cronyism Exposed in Louisiana Coastal Drilling Lawsuit
In a staggering revelation, Louisiana Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Thomas Harris admitted under oath that he delegated sweeping governmental power over coastal drilling litigation to a personal injury attorney, all to the financial benefit of political cronies. The Pelican Institute discovered the news via a public records request of the DNR,...
Louisiana: Judicial Hellhole
Louisiana: Judicial Hellhole
December’s arrival means that it is time to take stock of the year that was. “Best of” and “Worst of” lists for movies, albums, and books are compiled, and the American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) releases its annual list of Judicial Hellholes. The ATRA is a national grassroots organization dedicated to reforming the civil justice...
Local Leaders Push Back Against Coastal Lawsuit Abuse
Local Leaders Push Back Against Coastal Lawsuit Abuse
Last week, a three-judge panel from the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a state court must hear a lawsuit Plaquemines Parish brought against several oil companies. Plaquemines Parish alleges that drilling activity by Chevron, Exxon, and ConocoPhillips–that took place 80 years ago in support of the United States’ war effort–caused environmental damage. ...
Federal Judge Blocks Overreaching Government Mandates on Head Start
Federal Judge Blocks Overreaching Government Mandates on Head Start
Today, a judge in Louisiana’s Western District ruled that the federal government cannot mandate Head Start program teachers, staff, and volunteers in twenty-four states to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, nor can it require that adults and students wear masks. This ruling marks the second time the Pelican Institute and Liberty Justice Center clients have stopped...
Lawsuit Abuse is Not a Solution for Louisiana’s Coast
Lawsuit Abuse is Not a Solution for Louisiana’s Coast
In Louisiana, we have a knack for running job creators off to our neighboring states. One of the clearest examples of pushing businesses out of Louisiana is the slew of frivolous lawsuits levied against oil and gas companies that have caused countless jobs and opportunities to leave our state. A 2019 study found that two...
Steps to Build a Model Louisiana Constitution
Steps to Build a Model Louisiana Constitution
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...
OpEd: Coastal Credit Schemes Are a Paper Tiger for Coastal Restoration
OpEd: Coastal Credit Schemes Are a Paper Tiger for Coastal Restoration
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...
New Orleans Cracks Down on Small Businesses
New Orleans Cracks Down on Small Businesses
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...