You’d think after decades as a witness to lawmaking in Louisiana that I would temper the belief I have in our leaders to make decisions for the greater good, rather than letting the politics of the day steer important state policy.
But then again, our politicians have a way of taking the wind out of that optimism at times.
It’s with this in mind, just one week into the 2025 legislation session, that we look at five issues that present Louisiana officials with an opportunity to engender confidence in their ability to lead – or once again leave us frustrated.
This assessment should be considered bipartisan, as history shows us Democrats and Republicans are as capable of lifting us up as they are at letting us down.
1. ‘MAHA’ miasma: Gov. Jeff Landry sounded downright progressive in his opening speech Monday to lawmakers, putting his support behind legislation to remove highly processed foods and unhealthy dyes from the diets of Louisiana families. This aspirational legislation will have a lot of logistical obstacles to clear should it become law, but it still has a very forward-thinking flavor to it.
Yet also part of this “Make American Healthy Again” agenda are anti-science proposals that discourage the use of safe and effective vaccines and end dentist-supported fluoridation of water supplies. For this departure from common sense, you can thank the cult of disinformation U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. now leads.
You’ll remember that Landry, when was attorney general during the COVID-19 pandemic, invited RFK Jr. to testify before lawmakers. Health care professionals eviscerated Kennedy’s testimony as distortions of truth and reality.
This year, brace yourselves for what’s now become an annual ritual of anti-vax proponents converging at the Capitol to convince us they – and not the overwhelming majority of medical experts – know what’s best. They’re sticking to their guns, despite deadly measles and whooping cough outbreaks being directly attributed to low vaccination rates.
2. Insurance impetus: If the ongoing clash between the governor and Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple is any indication, there will be ample attention given this session to proposals pledging to bring down auto and homeowner’s policy rates. But whether that actually results in lower customer bills is still very much in question.
Each leader has their own package of bills on the topic, yet neither were crafted in consultation with one another. And although the governor has said he’s not taking sides, the stage is once again set for the insurance industry and trial lawyers to tell us how the other side doesn’t have our best interests at heart.
Landry definitely enjoys the bully pulpit over Temple, who has little to show from past legislative efforts meant to bring down insurance rates – though largely through no fault of his own. You can expect some bills to make it to the governor’s desk, but I wouldn’t advise spending any money you expect to save on insurance anytime soon.
3. Educational uncertainty: State officials have been quick to pat themselves on the back for education policy changes they credit for raising math and reading standardized test scores among grade school students While teachers have also earned their praise for these improvements, there’s no guarantee that appreciation will be reflected in an addition to their paychecks.
For the past two years, lawmakers have provided K-12 faculty with a $2,000 stipend, in addition to $1,000 for school support workers. These pay supplements are in question next academic year after voters rejected Landry’s plan to make them permanent.
Amendment 2 on the March 29 ballot linked teacher compensation with approval of the governor’s tax and budget overhaul. It was one of four ballot measures Landry supported that failed, an outcome he has attributed to an opposition campaign by billionaire George Soros.
Louisiana’s campaign finance laws for constitutional amendment elections are so opaque that there’s no way to confirm whether Soros spent money at all. But because two-thirds of voters rejected all four proposals, it’s safe to say many anti-Soros Republicans also thought they were a bad idea, too.
Landry has been in sour grapes mode since that defeat. Although the state’s top two teacher unions backed the ballot proposal, he mentioned union opposition to Amendment 2 in his speech to lawmakers Monday. Landry’s office didn’t respond when asked to explain his comments.
Legislative leaders have said they want to find the money to keep teacher pay at the stipend-enhanced level, and there’s a good chance it could come at the expense of the governor’s program to expand private school vouchers.
4. Reproductive health harms: A 2024 poll from The Times-Picayune and The Advocate found that 54% of Louisiana voters surveyed support access to abortions up to 15 weeks of pregnancy, rather than the all-out prohibition currently in place. Since the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade in June 2022, states have approved restrictive reproductive health laws despite growing sentiment for some level of access to the procedure.
Louisiana lawmakers are intent on placing more limits this session, including a proposal to expand the definition of “coerced abortion.” Another bill expands civil liability for performing an unlawful abortion to anyone who “causes, aids or abets” the procedure, including parties involved with making, dispensing, selling and shipping abortion-inducing drugs.
Rep. Delisha Boyd, D-New Orleans, will try once again the create exceptions to the state abortion ban for instances of incest and rape, but the measure’s prognosis is not favorable.
5. Executive branch overreach: State lawmakers conceded unprecedented power in year one of the Landry administration. In just a few months, they handed the governor greater control of ethics board appointees and gave him and his successors authority to directly pick the heads of numerous state boards and commissions.
The power grab continues this session with legislation that would put a New Orleans-area flood protection agency under the governor’s direct watch. The proposal has the blessing of Landry’s friend and unofficial adviser, Shane Guidry, who has already flexed his influence over the levee board’s inner workings. It’s hard to fathom how these moves stand to benefit anyone besides the governor and those closest to him
Last month’s failure of the four amendments Landry supported opens the door to the possibility that lawmakers could take a stand against his strong-arming. Yet the governor has already made his presence at the Capitol known in the first week of the session, keeping tabs on who’s in favor or against his proposals aimed at insurance rate reductions.
In closing, there are some fraying strands of free thinking – if not outright contrarian thought – emerging from the legislature. Evidence can be found in the growing bipartisan distaste for carbon capture and sequestration, which until recently had the tight embrace of fossil fuel and petrochemical advocates.
It’s a stretch to signal this as a return to common sense and decency for our leaders, considering neither has been a starting point for far too many of them. But one can hope.
