Invest in Louisiana

Louisiana lawmaker renews push for free breakfast in schools The fight against childhood hunger comes with a high price, and one Louisiana lawmaker wants all public schools to serve free breakfast; others worry about the cost.

State Rep. Kyle Green has filed a bill that aims to provide free breakfast at all public schools in Louisiana. https://www.wbrz.com/news/louisiana-lawmaker-renews-push-for-free-breakfast-in-schools #lalege #lagov

New Medicaid Guidance Threatens State Progress and Budget • Invest in Louisiana Preliminary guidance, issued in November by the Centers for Medicaid and Services (CMS), could threaten $1.5 billion in Medicaid funding for Louisiana, and derail the state’s efforts to make sure hospitals and doctors are paid fairly for treating people with low incomes who rely on Medicaid.

More than $1 billion in funding that supports Louisiana’s doctors and hospitals is under threat from a potential federal regulation. https://investlouisiana.org/new-medicaid-guidance-threatens-state-progress-and-budget/ #lalege #lagov

Bill prefiled to create ‘livable wage’ in Louisiana A Senate bill was proposed and intends to create a livable wage in the state.

State Sen. Regina Barrow has filed legislation that would allow voters to create a livable wage in Louisiana. https://www.louisianafirstnews.com/news/bill-prefiled-to-create-livable-wage-in-louisiana/ #lalege #lagov

https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2026/02/26/family-caregiving-in-an-aging-america/

jlcb.legis.la.gov/Docs/2026/ja... #lalege #lagov

Sound State Revenue Choices Essential to Counteract Harmful Policies and Build Forward Last summer’s harmful Republican megabill paired enormous tax breaks for wealthy households and corporations with historically deep cuts that will take away people’s vital health care and food assista...

The federal tax and budget megabill and recent state tax cuts will help create state budget shortfalls in Louisiana in upcoming years. The state needs to protect - and raise new - revenue. cbpp.org/research/sta... #lalege #lagov

Louisiana’s Data Center Incentives: Big Promises, Bigger Questions • Invest in Louisiana […]

Louisiana requires less transparency and accountability for data center tax breaks compared to other Southern states. Elected officials should do more to ensure companies are held to the promises they make. investlouisiana.org/louisianas-d... #lalege #lagov

Data center tax breaks are on the chopping block in some states • Louisiana Illuminator As some states welcome more data centers with tax incentives, others are scaling back to balance economic development and energy considerations.

Some states are looking to rein in data center tax breaks, as their effectiveness is scrutinized and public backlash mounts over how centers deplete water supplies and increase utility rates for locals. https://lailluminator.com/2026/02/24/repub/data-center-tax/ #lalege #lagov

A new report published in the Journal of Applied Psychology explains how food insecurity decreases employee performance and productivity. www.apa.org/news/press/r...

Invest in Louisiana’s Jan Moller spoke to the Baton Rouge Press Club today. He broke down the fiscal fallout from the federal megabill and recent state tax cuts, and explained how those policies will help create budget shortfalls in Louisiana in upcoming years. #lalege #lagov

https://www.congressionaldistricthealthdashboard.org/snapshots/district/2205

Louisiana’s New Policy Allows Even More Data Center Costs to be Passed to Ratepayers Late last year, Louisiana utility regulators quietly approved a new approach for handling electricity infrastructure proposals for powering large customers—a change that could force ratepayers in the state to pay more than half of the costs of powering a given AI data center. The Louisiana Public

Louisiana utility customers could end up paying more than half of AI data center costs due to a recent policy passed by the state Public Service Commission. https://blog.ucs.org/paul-arbaje/louisianas-new-policy-allows-even-more-data-center-costs-to-be-passed-to-ratepayers/ #lalege #lagov

Some states are helping to make Obamacare plans more affordable • Louisiana Illuminator At least 10 Democratic-leaning states are using their own money to help people buy Obamacare health plans, at least partially replacing the federal tax credits that expired at the end of last year.

Federal tax credits helped keep Obamacare coverage affordable, but Congress allowed those subsidies to expire at the end of 2025. Some states are offering their own tax credits to protect residents from skyrocketing health care costs. lailluminator.com/2026/02/18/r... #lalege #lagov

https://www.axios.com/2026/02/12/jobs-report-health-care-boomers?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosam&stream=top

Many middle-income families spend at least a tenth of their income on health insurance • Stateline More than half of working-age adults get their health insurance through an employer, but in many states premium contributions and deductibles take a significant bite out of household incomes. A new analysis from the Commonwealth Fund, a research nonprofit focused on health care, found that in 2024, premium contributions and deductibles for family plans totaled 10% […]

Middle-income households in Louisiana with employer-sponsored health insurance pay 15.6% of their income for coverage, the highest rate in the nation. https://stateline.org/2026/02/11/many-middle-income-families-spend-at-least-a-tenth-of-their-income-on-health-insurance/

How a $30 Billion Welfare Program Became a ‘Slush Fund’ for States Republicans and Democrats alike decry the lack of oversight for America’s famous antipoverty experiment.

The TANF program provides states with federal dollars that are supposed to be used, in large part, to provide basic cash assistance for low-income families with children. But states sometimes funnel TANF dollars to other areas. www.wsj.com/politics/pol... #lalege #lagov

https://www.epi.org/blog/low-wage-workers-faced-worsening-affordability-in-2025/

What's wrong with Louisiana's DOTD? Here's what one consulting firm says. The state Legislature hired a private company to identify what's causing problems at DOTD and solutions on how to fix it.

www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/...

Louisiana officials step up maintenance on roads, bridges Officials are counting on the Office of Louisiana Highway Construction, created by the Legislature last year, to speed up the contracting process.

Recent analysis found that LA's transportation department needs an additional $1.2B per year to address a $19B infrastructure backlog. The easiest way to do that is by raising the state's gas tax, which hasn’t budged since 1990. www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2... #lalege #lagov

https://www.axios.com/2026/02/03/car-insurance-rates-falling-rising-states-map?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosam&stream=top

With electricity bills rising, some states consider new data center laws • Stateline As Americans grow increasingly frustrated over their electricity bills, states are trying to keep the nation’s growing number of data centers from causing higher energy costs for consumers.

At least a dozen states are proposing separate, higher electricity rates for data centers. This effort stems from concerns over how these centers, which can use as much power as a small city, are increasing utility bills for nearby residents. stateline.org/2026/02/05/w... #lalege #lagov

A standstill budget isn’t good enough • Invest in Louisiana The state budget is the best available tool to ensure every Louisiana family has enough food to eat, access to good schools and high quality health care, and that a safety net exists for those who fal...

Invest in Louisiana's Jan Moller gives his thoughts on Gov. Landry's budget proposal and explains what the Legislature can do to ensure the state is making adequate investments in its citizens in the face of looming budget shortfalls. investlouisiana.org/a-standstill... #lalege #lagov

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/01/22/what-the-data-says-about-affordable-care-act-health-insurance-exchanges/

An October analysis from @pewtrusts.org found that Louisiana could run for 31.3 days using only rainy-day funds, well below the 50-state median of 46.9 days. www.pew.org/en/research-... #lalege #lagov

State Reserves Recede In fiscal year 2025, the capacity of states’ rainy day funds—meaning the number of days they could cover state operations—fell for the first time since the Great Recession of 2007-09.

The number of days that states could cover operations using only rainy-day funds fell in fiscal year 2025, which marked the first decline since the Great Recession. https://www.pew.org/en/trust/archive/winter-2026/state-reserves-recede #lalege #lagov

The Economy Posed Challenges for Black Households and Black-Owned Businesses in 2025 Although the U.S. economy is not experiencing a downturn, several economic indicators weakened in 2025 relative to 2024. This weakness is particularly harmful for Black households and Black-owned smal...

Although the U.S. economy is not experiencing a downturn, several economic indicators weakened in 2025 relative to 2024. @gbenga-ajilore.bsky.social explains how the economy in 2025 affected Black households & Black-owned small businesses: www.cbpp.org/blog/the-eco...

Why community benefit agreements are necessary for data centers | Brookings Nicol Turner Lee and Darrell West explain community benefit agreements and how they can support areas surrounding data centers.

The rush of data center construction across the country comes with environmental, financial and other risks for communities. Community benefit agreements can provide transparency and protection for people living near these massive centers. www.brookings.edu/articles/why...

https://www.epi.org/publication/strong-unions-stronger-communities-and-democracy/

Not every state joined this race to the bottom. Some increased revenue to make crucial investments:

- Colorado created a universal school meals program
- Maine launched a paid family and medical leave program
- Maryland is able to plug a massive budget shortfall #lalege #lagov

States That Raised Revenue Offer Brighter Roadmap for Others To build forward and invest in a brighter future, states should avoid cutting taxes and follow the example of these revenue-raising states to fund public services that support affordability for famili...

Many states, including Louisiana, passed irresponsible tax cuts in recent years while their coffers were flush with federal dollars and better-than-expected tax revenue. But now those states are struggling to navigate fiscal headwinds. www.cbpp.org/research/sta... #lalege #lagov