A proposal would expand the “ban the box” concept to the private sector, barring most contractors who do business with the city-parish from asking job applicants about their criminal history until late in the hiring process.
The first year of the state’s Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 was marked by billions being pledged on facilities to help the state meet that goal. But there still is a lot of work to be done.
The state’s one Democratic and seven Republican members are also focused on local issues, such as a new Veterans Administration facility in Baton Rouge, reallocating infrastructure funds to traffic reduction projects.
The Employer Coalition of Louisiana, composed of Laitram, Edison Chouest Offshore, Excel Group, Grand Isle Shipyard and more, will work to help its customers pay less for the same quality of health-care coverage.
An analysis of nearly 92,000 Road Home grants statewide found that the program to help homeowners rebuild after hurricanes Katrina and Rita gave more funding to wealthier neighborhoods than low-income ones.
As part of the agreement, France will send an “international technical expert” to Louisiana in an exchange effort to discover which industries might help the other government reduce carbon emissions.
The case alleges that the tech giant has been capturing and selling data from Louisianans, violating the state’s consumer protection and privacy law. A similar lawsuit was settled earlier this year in Illinois for $100 million.
A study found that Black communities containing industrial plants were exposed to seven to 21 times more toxic emissions than similar locations with white residents. The study includes the stretch of the Mississippi River called “cancer alley.”
Auditors revealed that the cyber attack led to money being misappropriated but that port officials have been able to recover approximately $250,000 through insurance so far. The agency has since received federal aid to boost security.
They cover issues such as stock market investments, property tax exemptions and freezes for disabled veterans and those who are totally disabled and banning slavery and limiting “involuntary servitude” of prisoners.
Last year’s federal infrastructure bill allotted $62 billion to bolster and update the nation’s electric grid, which could result in $9.2 million annually to Louisiana for the next five years if the state’s application is approved.
Some argue the technology would help bring jobs and tax revenue to the state while removing greenhouse gas out of the air. But others fear the projects would disturb natural environments or become safety risks.
As of July, approximately 440,000 Louisianans have voluntarily left their jobs this year, the highest total for the first seven months of a year since 2000. But experts say mobility signals a healthy economy, albeit a challenging one for employers.
Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne feels confident that the state will, once again, have money remaining from the current fiscal year for use in the next one. But if the state is required to pay for storm damage cleanup costs, that number could change.
The state’s House Ways & Means Committee began to study the possibility of removing individual and corporate income taxes, which would require significant reworking of property, sales or other taxes to offset the loss in revenue.
The state’s trigger law has been blocked twice since the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Experts are concerned about how a court decision could impact the rest of the nation’s reproductive care.
