Pat Smith Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Louisiana Budget Project

April 20, 2018

House budget targets hospitals and college students

Facing a $648 million “fiscal cliff” caused by expiring tax revenue, a divided Louisiana House approved an operating budget Thursday that includes deep cuts to health care services for low-income families and TOPS college scholarships.

Number of the Day

6.27 - percentage of voting age African Americans in Louisiana that are disenfranchised because of past criminal convictions, compared to 3.04 percent of the general population in the state. (Source: The Pew Trusts)

April 16, 2018

The widening racial pay gap

The economic gap between white and black households in New Orleans has grown wider in recent decades, with African American families actually earning less, on average, than in 1979 after adjusting for inflation.

Number of the Day

$7 - Savings to American taxpayers, over time, for every $1 invested in reducing child poverty (Source: Mark Rank via New York Times)

April 5, 2018

Unpaid meal debt bill advances

The Louisiana House on Wednesday advanced House Bill 284, by Rep. Pat Smith, which would prohibit public schools from punishing students whose families have an unpaid meal debt.

Number of the Day

$25,747, 218 - The recommended cut in state general funds to higher education in the governor’s Executive Budget (Source: House Fiscal Division)

March 20, 2018

Policy Brief: Ending school lunch shaming

Nearly 1 in 4 Louisiana children live in a household that doesn’t have enough food to eat throughout the month.

Number of the Day

261,000 - Number of children in Louisiana whose parents are, at times, struggling to figure out how to pay for their families’ next meal. (Source: Feeding America)