Will Restricting School Choice Help Louisiana?

04/04/2016

Governor John Bel Edwards clearly has different ideas about how to improve Louisiana education than former Governor Bobby Jindal.

TAGS: Bobby Jindal, Charter Schools, John Bel Edwards, School choice, Vouchers

Guest Commentary: Lawsuit Reform in the 2014 Legislative Session

By Robert Ross

03/18/2014

The Louisiana Legislature kicked off the 2014 regular session last week, beginning a series of discussions about the most important issues facing the state. Already it is clear that lawsuit reform will be front and center in the debate.

TAGS: Bobby Jindal, jury trial threshold, lawsuit reform, Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch, Tort Reform

Smart on Sentencing, Smart on Crime: An Argument for Reforming Louisiana’s Determinate Sentencing Laws

By Margaret Viator

10/29/2013

A new study details how Louisiana can reduce its prison population and corrections spending without lessening public safety by eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent offenders and reforming its habitual offender law.

TAGS: Bobby Jindal, Criminal Justice Reform, determinate sentencing, incarceration rate, Louisiana, mandatory minimums, Reason Foundation, Texas Public Policy Foundation

Something Like a Slur

By Ben Kilpatrick

04/26/2013

Because Bob Mann holds the Manship Chair in Journalism and is the director of the Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs at Louisiana State University, and his accusations center around the issue of racism, I feel compelled to respond to his claims.

TAGS: Affordable Care Act, Bobby Jindal, journalism, LSU, Medicaid, Robert Mann

The Trouble with Medicaid

By Ben Kilpatrick

04/24/2013

Louisiana legislators may not have the power to fix what is wrong with the federal welfare state. But they can refuse to expand it in their own backyards.

TAGS: Affordable Care Act, Bobby Jindal, Health Care, Louisiana, Louisiana Legislature, Medicaid, Medicaid expansion, ObamaCare

New Study: Governor Jindal’s Tax Reform Plan Benefits Louisiana Economy

By Margaret Viator

03/26/2013

The study finds that the Governor’s tax reform would create 11,810 new jobs in the state by 2017-- or roughly 3,000 jobs per year directly relate to these tax changes—while maintaining revenue neutrality.

TAGS: Beacon Hill Institute, Bobby Jindal, Income tax, Louisiana, Sales Tax, tax rates, tax reform

Don’t Forget Course Choice

By Ben Kilpatrick

01/24/2013

Act 2 moved Louisiana forward from an anachronistic model of education into a student-centric one that allows each child to master her learning before she moves on to another concept. It is an important model for the nation that puts the emphasis on learning outcomes and student success.

TAGS: Bobby Jindal, Course Choice, Education Reform, Innosight Institute, Louisiana, online learning, Online schools

Louisiana Pensions Among Most Underfunded

By Trent Hill

11/29/2012

A study of the 100 largest public pension plans in the U.S. highlights Louisiana’s pension fund troubles.

TAGS: accrued liability, Bobby Jindal, cash balance, defined benefit, defined contribution, LASERS, Louisiana, Pension Reform, TRSL, UAl, unfunded accrued liabilities

Data Shows Louisiana Schools’ Hiring and Benefits – Not Vouchers – the Cause of Budget Woes

By Kevin Kane

11/13/2012

Louisiana’s public schools put themselves in a precarious position by hiring more teachers and administrative personnel, even while the number of students declined. Generous pension and benefit plans have exacerbated this problem.

TAGS: Bobby Jindal, Friedman Foundation, K-12, Louisiana Scholarship Program, Pension Reform, Robert Enlow, School choice, Vouchers

Louisiana’s Business Climate Rated Highly in Recent Studies

By Matt Cole

11/12/2012

It is widely expected that tax reform will be the Jindal administration’s primary goal in the 2013 Louisiana legislative session. In a recent Advocate report, Tim Barfield from the Department of Revenue addressed the need for reform, pointing out that it is the “sticker price” and not the actual tax burden that is hampering “Louisiana's efforts to attract businesses.”

TAGS: Bobby Jindal, Tax Foundation, tax reform, Taxes, Tim Barfield

A Tax Plan for Our Brighter Future

A Tax Plan for Our Brighter Future paper-digital In Louisiana’s Comeback: A Tax Reform for Our Brighter Future, the Pelican Institute identifies the state’s significant tax problems and proposes a path to set the state in a brighter direction, including flattening the personal and corporate income taxes to 3.5% rates, reducing the number of tax preferences, eliminating...

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