Patricia Smith
December 18, 2018
Louisiana spends less on mental health care, per capita, than 43 other states. In the absence of state investment, police are often the first responders for people facing a mental health crisis.
Number of the Day
$6,800,000,000 - Funding lost to Louisiana public schools since the state’s suspended an annual 2.75% inflationary increase in per-student spending, in 2008. (Source: Louisiana Budget Project)May 11, 2018
Gov. John Bel Edwards and Lafayette Mayor-President Joel Robideaux joined local leaders and hospital officials in a press conference on Thursday to discuss the effects that the pending state budget cuts would have on the local community.
Number of the Day
78.1 percent- Louisiana’s high school graduation rate for 2017, the state’s highest ever. (Source: The Advocate)May 3, 2018
The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) currently keeps more than 400,000 households in Louisiana, including 407,000 children, from going hungry. A recent analysis of the House Agriculture Committee’s version of the federal farm bill lays out why it would increase food insecurity and hardship across the country.
Number of the Day
18.3 - percentage of households in Louisiana that are food insecure, which is 5.3 percentage points higher than the U.S. average. (Source: United States Department of Agriculture)April 20, 2018
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.