Welcome to 2026 Solutions Summit!
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AGENDA
Registration & Breakfast with the Belles
► WWII Museum’s Victory Belles
Main Stage Welcome Remarks
[Riverview Ballroom]
► Speaker Phillip DeVillier
PELITalk: A Fork in the Digital Road:
Free Expression, AI, & America’s Competitive Edge
► Patrick Hedger, NetChoice
Money Matters: 2026 Legislative Leadership Preview
► Chairman Tony Bacala
► Chairman Jack McFarland
► Chairman Glen Womack
► Chairman Mike Reese
✔ Moderated by Laurie White Adams, Pelican Institute of Public Policy
[Riverview Ballroom]
Latest Pelican Pulse Poll Results Revealed!
Presentation:
✔ Dr. Erin Bendily
Analysis Discussion:
► John Kay
► Gordon Reese
► Julie Emerson
► Daniel Erspamer
PELITalk: School Choice to Fulfill American Promise
► Pastor Joshua Robertson, Black Pastors United for Education
Check Out the Networking Nest!
Second Chances for a Safer Louisiana
[King Room]
► Andrew Hundley, Parole Project
► Tyler Lane, Gerry Lane Enterprises
► Renee DeLouche, Louisiana Department of Corrections
► Heather Rice-Minus, Prison Fellowship
✔ Moderator: Dwight Hudson, Right on Crime
Ridiculous Regs and How to Stop Them
[Governor Room]
► Kileen Lindgren, Pacific Legal Foundation
► Sal Nuzzo, Consumers Defense
► Patrick McLaughlin, Hoover Institution
► Danny McFadden, Vulcan Technologies
► Representative Mark Wright
✔ Moderator: Sarah Harbison, Pelican Institute for Public Policy
Silicon Bayou: Lead in Technology So America Can Lead the World
[Capitol Room]
► Patrick Hedger, NetChoice
► Kevin Frazier, Abundance Institute
► Logan Kolas, American Consumer Institute
► Heather Curry, Policy Edge
✔ Moderator: Vance Ginn, Pelican Institute for Public Policy
[Riverview Ballroom]
Lunch Welcome
► President Cameron Henry
PELITalk: Reigniting the American Dream
► Jason Janz, CrossPurpose
Get your free copy of Together We Climb
crosspurpose.org/GetTWC
Mainstage Keynote
Future of Louisiana Energy: Public Service Commission Issues Forum
► Representative Stephanie Hilferty
► Aiden Joyner
► Representative Mark Wright
► Big John Mason
► Commissioner John Atkins
► Chris Justin
► John Young
*All qualified candidates have been invited, and a number of invitations are pending.
Check Out the Brand New Networking Nest
Louisiana’s Energy Moment:
How Permitting & Market Reforms Can Power Growth & Lower Costs
[Capitol Room]
► Bryce Chinault, Abundance Institute
► Paige Lambermont, Competitive Enterprise Institute
► Cynthia Niemeyer-Tieskoette, American Petroleum Institute
► Ben Sebree, Project INNERSPACE
► Josiah Neeley, R Street Institute
✔ Moderator: Melissa Landry, Pelican Institute for Public Policy
Rewrite the Contract: Government Union Reforms that Protect Taxpayers
[King Room]
► Vinnie Vernuccio, Institute for the American Worker
► Mailee Smith, Illinois Policy Institute
► Kyle Wingfield, Georgia Public Policy Foundation
✔ Moderator: Sarah Harbison, Pelican Institute for Public Policy
Not Done Yet, Not Giving Up: Expand Educational Options for Louisiana’s Children
[Governor Room]
► Dr. Sabrah Kingham, Office of Governor Jeff Landry
► Nathan Sanders, EdChoice
► Jude Schwalbach, Reason Foundation
► Lily Landry, Yes. Every Kid.
✔ Moderator: Dr. Erin Bendily, Pelican Institute for Public Policy
[Riverview Ballroom]
PeliTalk: Practical Federalism in the 21st Century
►Jennifer Butler, State Policy Network
Cocktails & Conversation: The Greatest Sentence Ever Written
► Lawson Bader, DonorsTrust & Free Society Coalition
► Walter Isaacson
✮ Guests will take home a signed copy of the book!
Born to Be Free
⋆✮ Toast to America’s 250th and to Pelican’s 18th ✮⋆
► Hon. Rodolphe Sambou, Consul General of the French Republic
► Rep. Dixon McMakin, Louisiana House 68th district
PELICANS LATEST REPORTS
BREAKOUT SESSION RESOURCES
Second Chances for a Safer Louisiana
[King Room]
► Andrew Hundley, Parole Project
► Tyler Lane, Gerry Lane Enterprises
► Renee DeLouche, Louisiana Department of Corrections
► Heather Rice-Minus, Prison Fellowship
✔ Moderator: Dwight Hudson, Right on Crime
LINKS & DOWNLOADS:
- Introducing The Future of Justice: A Conservative Vision to Enhance Public Safety in Louisiana
- Louisiana’s Reentry Opportunity: Turning Insight Into Action
- Reentry Initiatives & Transitional Work Programs
- Right On Crime: A Conservative Blueprint for Public Safety
- Reducing Recidivism the Right Way: Conservative Policy That Works
- Louisiana State Bar Association – Reentry Resource Flyer (PDF)
- 2026 Legislative Session: Public Safety and Criminal Justice Overview
- ROC’s Talent Unlocked Employer Forum Underscores Second Chance Hiring is Gaining Ground in Louisiana
- Justice and Accountability Center of Louisiana – Reentry Resource Document (PDF)
- Louisiana Reentry Housing Challenges
Ridiculous Regs and How to Stop Them
[Governor Room]
► Kileen Lindgren, Pacific Legal Foundation
► Sal Nuzzo, Consumers Defense
► Patrick McLaughlin, Hoover Institution
► Danny McFadden, Vulcan Technologies
► Representative Mark Wright
✔ Moderator: Sarah Harbison, Pelican Institute for Public Policy
LINKS & DOWNLOADS:
- Deregulate Louisiana to Drive Opportunity and Economic Growth
- Arizona Governor’s Regulatory Review Council (GRRC)
- Virginia’s Regulatory Reforms: A Role Model for Other States (Overview of Executive Order 19)
- Governor Youngkin Launches First-in-the-Nation Agentic AI Regulatory Review
- The Office of Regulatory Management Makes Virginia a Leader on Regulatory Reform
- The Virginia Model: How the Commonwealth Built a Best-In-Class Regulatory System
Silicon Bayou: Lead in Technology So America Can Lead the World
[Capitol Room]
► Patrick Hedger, NetChoice
► Kevin Frazier, Abundance Institute
► Logan Kolas, American Consumer Institute
► Heather Curry, Policy Edge
✔ Moderator: Vance Ginn, Pelican Institute for Public Policy
LINKS & DOWNLOADS:
- Data Centers: A Free Market Model for the Digital Future
- The Right to Compute: Elevating the Standard for AI Laws
- Congress Should Lead On AI Policy, Not The States
- The Future of Online Expression and Innovation Depends on Robust Section 230 Protections
- The Misleading Panic over Misinformation
- Age Verification Isn’t Parenting
- New Year, Same Story: Age Verification Measures Distract from Sustainable Solutions
- NetChoice Testifies Against ID for Speech Mandate in Arizona Senate
- State AI Policy Toolkit: The ALEC Guide to a Golden Age of Artificial Intelligence Innovation
- The Hidden Cost of 50 State AI Laws: A Data-Driven Breakdown
- Wireless Permitting Reform Will Save Billions and Speed Deployment
- Broadband Update: A “Benefit of the Bargain” for the BEAD Program
- New Trends Emerge as States Refine AI Legislation
- States Should Stop Trying to Regulate AI Pricing
- AI workforce readiness depends on labor mobility
- We’re All Entrepreneurs Now: Learning, Pivoting, and Thriving the Age of AI
- Tools for Keeping Kids Safe Online: Innovations Empower Parents, but Parents Must Use Them
- Gotta Know When to Fold ‘Em: the FTC Resumes Its Antitrust Aggression
- BEAD the Call: What the First Four Years of BEAD can Teach Us
Louisiana’s Energy Moment: How Permitting & Market Reforms Can Power Growth & Lower Costs
[Capitol Room]
► Bryce Chinault, Abundance Institute
► Paige Lambermont, Competitive Enterprise Institute
► Cynthia Niemeyer-Tieskoette, American Petroleum Institute
► Ben Sebree, Project INNERSPACE
► Josiah Neeley, R Street Institute
✔ Moderator: Melissa Landry, Pelican Institute for Public Policy
LINKS & DOWNLOADS:
- REPORT: The Economics of Transmission Monopoly- ROFR Laws and their Price Impact
- REPORT: The Economic Impacts of Right of First Refusal (ROFR) Legislation
- REPORT: How Coastal Lawsuit Abuse Continues to Undermine Louisiana’s Economy
- ROADMAP TO REFORM: Unlocking Energy Abundance, Prosperity & Human Flourishing
- Louisiana’s Grid Gambit: Is It Time to Let Private Power Play?
- Your Electric Bill Is on the Ballot in 2026 — Whether You Know It or Not
- Louisiana’s Energy Moment: Why Competition—Not Regulatory Shortcuts—Will Power Growth and Lower Costs
Rewrite the Contract: Government Union Reforms that Protect Taxpayers
[King Room]
► Vinnie Vernuccio, Institute for the American Worker
► Mailee Smith, Illinois Policy Institute
► Kyle Wingfield, Georgia Public Policy Foundation
✔ Moderator: Sarah Harbison, Pelican Institute for Public Policy
LINKS & DOWNLOADS:
Not Done Yet, Not Giving Up: Expand Educational Options for Louisiana’s Children
[Governor Room]
► Dr. Sabrah Kingham, Office of Governor Jeff Landry
► Nathan Sanders, EdChoice
► Jude Schwalbach, Reason Foundation
► Lily Landry, Yes. Every. Kid.
✔ Moderator: Dr. Erin Bendily, Pelican Institute for Public Policy
LINKS & DOWNLOADS:
- Education Savings Accounts (ESA) Overview
- Expand Education Opportunities with LA GATOR
- LA GATOR Outshines Vouchers
- LA GATOR: Fund the Promise
- 2026: Is Universal School Choice Bankrupting States?
- Public Schools Without Boundaries (2025)
- How Public Schools Measure Capacity in K–12 Open Enrollment
- 2026 ALEC Index of State Education Freedom: A 50-State Guide to Parental Empowerment
- No More Lines Campaign
- Breaking Down the Barriers: Ensuring Families’ Rights to Education Freedom