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.
by Morgan Wampold, director of communications Today, despite the lack of support expressed by state lawmakers, local elected officials, and industry leaders across the coast, state officials announced they have signed onto a proposed agreement seeking to settle coastal land loss claims against a single defendant that no longer operates in Louisiana. The following is a...
by Brian Balfour, senior vice president of research, John Locke Foundation If Louisiana wants to look for inspiration for tax reform, they could do no better than North Carolina. Aggressive, yet sensible, tax cuts paired with fiscal restraint is what made North Carolina “The national model for conservative tax reform,” according to Patrick Gleason, vice...
As Louisianans celebrate a vastly different kind of Mardi Gras this year, the latest economic data shows that COVID-19 has resulted in far more than cancelled parades. State and local government officials’ response to the pandemic has also led to significant job losses. Louisiana’s new economic data shows that while the number of Louisianans on...
by Sarah Harbison, general counsel & director, Pelican Center for Justice Ursula Newell-Davis lives in New Orleans and cares deeply about the well-being of her community. Through her work as a social worker and as a mother to her own special needs son, Ursula has seen first-hand that children with disabilities and their families need...
by Eric Peterson, Director of Policy During the holiday season, Louisianans have more on their mind than the latest state economic reports. Yet as we enter the New Year, it’s important to understand where our state’s economy stands. Two reports, one from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the other from the Bureau of...
by Eric Peterson, Director of Policy As 2020 winds down, I can’t help but reflect on the difficulties we’ve all experienced, both on the health and economic fronts, throughout this year. Fortunately, as a vaccine appears within reach, so too is a return to a strong economy. The latest jobs release from the Bureau of...
This hasn’t been a year of positive news. Over the last few months, however, there have been some bright spots for Louisiana and the nation’s economies, as they have been steadily moving in the right direction. But, the latest jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics has some sobering news for those who expected...
Voters in New Orleans will elect a new District Attorney this fall, and the person elected has the potential to transform the city’s criminal justice system for a generation. To get to know the candidates and where they stand on the issues, the Pelican Institute invited each qualified candidate to participate in a live PeliCast...
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...
Did Louisiana’s government infringe on the rights of its citizens with its COVID-19 mandates? Today, the Pelican Institute released a report to answer that question and offer approaches for addressing the ongoing pandemic and future disasters while safeguarding both public health and individual liberty. In future legislative sessions, lawmakers should consider the lessons learned from...