Reading Between the Lines on Latest Jobs Report

02/01/2021
by Eric Peterson, director of the Pelican Center for Technology and Innovation Policy At first glance, the December State Employment and Unemployment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics appeared positive for Louisiana. However, a closer look at the numbers reveals there is still a long way to go in the state’s economic recovery. The...

TAGS: Bureau Of Labor Statistics, COVID-19, Department of Labor, Get Louisiana Working, jobs and opportunity, occupational licensing, regulatory reform, tax reform

Last Jobs Report of the Year A Mixed Bag

12/29/2020
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...

TAGS: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau Of Labor Statistics, COVID-19, Economic Analysis, Economy, Gross Domestic Product, jobs and opportunity, lawsuit abuse, legal reform, occupational licensing, regulatory reform, tax reform

Big Victory for Military Families with Signing of HB 613

06/12/2020
Military families relocating to Louisiana will now have greater access to jobs and opportunity thanks to the signing of Representative Chuck Owen’s HB 613. Previously, new Louisiana military families faced needless obstacles to work due to government red tape known as occupational licenses. The new law will allow military spouses and dependents with an occupational...

TAGS: Chuck Owen, HB 613, military, occupational licensing

Pelican Unveils Policy Solutions to Get Louisiana Working in the Aftermath of COVID-19

04/30/2020
Today, the Pelican Institute released its Get Louisiana Working Policy Solutions. This plan outlines reforms to key public policy areas to encourage the return of jobs and opportunity and to strengthen the state’s economy following the destruction resulting from COVID-19 and measures taken to address it. The Pelican Institute is also calling on state leaders...

TAGS: Budget, COVID-19, Criminal Justice Reform, Get Louisiana Working, infrastructure, jobs and opportunity, lawsuit abuse, legal reform, occupational licensing, re-entry ready, regulatory reform, tax reform, transportation

Louisiana’s 2019 GDP Ranked Among The Worst in Nation

04/07/2020
As economic news continues to focus on the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ (BEA) recently released report further underscored Louisiana’s pre-coronavirus economic struggles. In the final quarter of 2019, the BEA report on state Gross Domestic Products (GDP) showed the Louisiana economy grew an anemic 1.1 percent, ranking 43rd in...

TAGS: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Jobs, jobs and opportunity, Labor, legal reform, occupational licensing, tax reform

Military Families Face Obstacles to Work in Louisiana

03/12/2020
Military families relocating to Louisiana are facing needless obstacles to work due to government red tape known as occupational licenses. Occupational licenses are permission slips from the government in order to work in certain professions. To obtain a license, workers often must take hundreds of hours of classes and pay thousands of dollars in fees...

TAGS: occupational licensing

You Shouldn’t Need a License to Speak

02/17/2020
The very idea of needing a license to speak is shocking to most Americans. After all, most Americans know the First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees us the right to speak our minds. Yet despite this constitutional guarantee, there are state officials around the country claiming that in order to speak in some contexts, you...

TAGS: Litigation, Litigation Reform, occupational licensing

Occupational Licensing Reform Needed to create and maintain jobs

05/03/2019
With Presidential candidates revealing plans to forgive billions of dollars in student loan debt, it no surprise that the conversation has centered around debt incurred at four-year universities. But four-year universities are hardly the only place students are racking up thousands in debt. Students around the country are also undergoing significant debt in order to...

TAGS: jobs and opportunity, occupational licensing, regulatory reform

Restoring the Right to Earn a Living

03/14/2018
In Restoring the Right to Earn a Living: A Common-Sense Solution to Occupational Licensing Job Barriers, Goldwater Institute Director of National Litigation Jon Riches examines the burdens inflicted by onerous job licensing requirements in Louisiana. And for many Louisiana job-seekers, it’s a pretty grim situation. “For too many professions, occupational licensing requirements do not exist...

TAGS: Economy, Jobs, occupational licensing, regulation