2016 Special session
February 14, 2017
Gov. John Bel Edwards kicked off a 10-day special session by asking state legislators to set aside partisan differences as they work to plug a $304 million midyear budget gap that could lead to deep service cuts. The AP’s Melinda Deslatte reports that Edwards and a majority of the state Senate want to use $119 million from the state’s Budget Stabilization Fund toward filling the deficit, but conservatives in the House continue to balk.… Read more...
June 27, 2016
By several estimates, Louisiana boasts the most generous menu of corporate tax incentives in the country. And the most generous incentive of all is the Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP), which allows manufacturers to escape local property taxes for up to 10 years on new capital investments regardless of whether these investments create or retain jobs.
June 24, 2016
The Legislature wrapped up its business for the years at 11:15 p.m. Thursday by passing a supplemental budget bill that distributes $263 million in new revenue among a variety of programs and services. That’s less than half the money Gov. John Bel Edwards sought when he called lawmakers into a special session.
June 23, 2016
Senate President John Alario announced this morning that he’s giving up on raising an additional $88 million for next year’s budget by eliminating an outdated tax deduction that flows mainly to the wealthiest households. That means the main task for legislators on the final day of the special session is dividing up an estimated $258 million that’s been raised to date.