Daily Dime
School meal programs play a critical role in making sure children get enough food to eat during the school year and during the summers. When the pandemic began, Congress passed laws that expanded these programs and gave school districts broad new flexibilities in how to provide food assistance to families.… Read more...
Wages for Louisiana workers grew by an average of 2% during the first quarter – among the lowest gains in the country and well below the national average of 4.8%. The Bureau of Economic Analysis reports that only Alaska, Washington and Hawaii experienced wage growth at or below Louisiana’s level.… Read more...
In the waning minutes of the legislative session, lawmakers agreed on a deal – without any public input – that would provide oil giant Shell with a $3 million property tax rebate from Plaquemines Parish. The tax break was unusual, even by Louisiana standards, because Shell was the only company that stood to benefit and it had already lost an appeal before the state’s tax commission.… Read more...
The battle to redraw Louisiana’s congressional lines in a way that is fair to Black people is back in the hands of a federal district judge after state lawmakers adjourned a special session on Saturday without taking action. Rep. Royce Duplessis, who sponsored one of the bills that sought to create a second Black-majority district, told the Baton Rouge Press Club that his colleagues never seriously tried to comply with Judge Shelly Dick’s order to have the process complete by June 20.… Read more...