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Statement: Gov. Jindal’s “Cash Balance” Retirement Plan

Friday, April 13th, 2012

Today’s analysis of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s “cash balance” plan shows that there is no need to switch to a new retirement system for future teachers and state employees. The analysis showed that the new system would add to the state’s costs while shifting more risk to state workers, university employees and their families.

“The actuary’s report clearly shows that the cash balance proposal is a lose-lose for Louisiana,” said Jan Moller, director of the Louisiana Budget Project. “It’s bad for taxpayers and bad for state employees.” Click to continue »

Posted in Budget, Media Citation, News/Updates, Press Release, Revenue and Taxes | No Responses »

Report: Louisiana Taxes Working-Poor Further Into Poverty

Wednesday, April 4th, 2012

(Baton Rouge – April 4, 2012) While most other states exempt working-poor families from the income tax, Louisiana is one of a small number of states that continue to levy an income tax on working families living in poverty. By reducing state income taxes for working-poor families, Louisiana could help these families work their way toward the middle-class, according to an annual report on state income tax trends.

Louisiana is one of only 10 states to tax families of three who are living below the national poverty line and one of only 15 states to tax families of four below the poverty line. The poverty line is $17,922 per year for a family of three and $23,018 per year for a family of four. Louisiana taxes all income above $16,800 for a family of three and $21,300 for a family of four. Click to continue »

Posted in Budget, Health Care, News/Updates, Report, Revenue and Taxes | No Responses »

March: In the News

Monday, April 2nd, 2012

The Louisiana Budget Project has been cited in the news weighing in on various important debates such as the school voucher plan, the health insurance exchange, state pensions and health care reform.

In February, LBP received a great deal of press on our position regarding the governor’s school voucher plan and March was no exception. LBP was cited in articles in the following papers: The Times-Picayune, The Advocate, and The Daily Comet. Last week, LBP was cited in a letter published in The Advocate mentioning our opinion that the voucher plan lacks accountability and transparency. Click to continue »

Posted in Budget, Education, Health Care, Letter to Editor, Media Citation, News/Updates, Outreach/Advocacy, Press Release, Report, Revenue and Taxes | No Responses »

LBP weighs in on LPB’s Public Square

Thursday, March 29th, 2012

Watch LBP’s Jan Moller on Louisiana Public Square’s “Redefining State Retirement” piece and see why everyone will ultimately be affected by the state pension systems’ UAL (Unfunded Accrued Liability), even if you are not a state worker.

Here is an excerpt:
“A dollar that you spend on state retirement is a dollar that you may not be spending on higher education, or health care, or some of the critical services that people depend on.”

Watch LPB’s “Redefining State Retirement” segment here.

Posted in Budget, Education, Health Care, Media Citation, News/Updates | No Responses »

New Audio/Visual Presentations from LBP

Monday, March 26th, 2012

View “Louisiana Budget Basics” where LBP Director Jan Moller explains why health-care and education always seem to get hit hard during state budget cuts.

Watch “Louisiana Budget Basics” here.

View “Payday Lending in Louisiana” where LBP analyst Tim Mathis examinesthe predatory loan industry shares his findings on how it impacts Louisiana’s working poor.

Watch “Payday Lending in Louisiana” here.

*These presentations allow you to watch the PowerPoint while hearing commentary so be sure your sound is turned on.

Posted in Budget, Education, Health Care, News/Updates, Revenue and Taxes | No Responses »

Federal Health Insurance Exchange Requires State Cooperation

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

With the two-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act this week, the Louisiana Budget Project has released a fact sheet reminding Louisiana legislators and other interested parties that several important policy decisions and milestones lie ahead as the state and federal government move to set up a new health insurance exchange.

This exchange will be a new, regulated marketplace where individuals and small businesses can comparison-shop for private health insurance. To make coverage more affordable, premium tax credits will be available for families with incomes up to four times the federal poverty level. As many as 350,000 Louisianans could get coverage through the exchange.

“A successful health insurance exchange will encourage competition among insurance providers and will provide high-quality, comprehensive coverage at affordable rates,” said Jan Moller, director of the Louisiana Budget Project.”

Read the full report and press release.

Posted in Health Care, News/Updates, Press Release, Report | No Responses »

Accountability Takes a Beating in Round One

Friday, March 16th, 2012

By Jan Moller

The first week of the 2012 Legislature was unlike any opening weeks that had come before. In the span of two days of marathon hearings, the education committees in the House and Senate approved a massive overhaul of Louisiana’s K-12 public education system by lopsided margins.

That means that as early as next week, the full House and Senate could be voting on bills to eliminate most job-protections for public school teachers, dramatically expand the private-school voucher program for low-income students and make the funding for that program a constitutionally protected entitlement.

That the bills passed was no surprise. It’s been clear for weeks that Gov. Bobby Jindal had the votes lined up to get them out of committee and on to the floor. The real surprise was just how little time was spent digging into the fine print of the legislation, which promises to change the face of public education in Louisiana for decades to come. Click to continue »

Posted in Budget, Education, News/Updates, Revenue and Taxes | No Responses »

In the News

Saturday, March 10th, 2012

The Louisiana Budget Project’s report on school vouchers caused quite a stir this month, receiving attention from more than 20 media outlets around the state. Not everyone was happy with our recommendations, including the publisher of the Baton Rouge Business Report. LBP’s director, Jan Moller, responded to the criticism with a letter to the editor and an op-ed in The Political Desk.

LBP was cited in both The Advocate and The Times-Picayune for our statement urging the Legislature to evaluate corporate tax breaks based on merit and eliminate those that don’t produce results. Click to continue »

Posted in Budget, Education, Health Care, Media Citation, News/Updates, Outreach/Advocacy, Press Release, Report, Revenue and Taxes | No Responses »