Politics & Policy

Government decisions, legislation, elections, and public policy shaping business and daily life across the Baton Rouge region and Louisiana.

K-12 schools spent $850M on retirement costs last year

Schools that participate in one of two state retirement systems spent $852.8 million in fiscal year 2020 to pay down retirement debt, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor reports.

Analysis: Lawmakers travel Louisiana to talk redistricting

Louisiana lawmakers are moving behind-the-scenes conversations about redrawing state political maps to public hearings around the state over the next three months, to discuss the once-a-decade process that decides how people are represented in government based on U.S. census data.

Tyson defends Build Baton Rouge against council member’s accusations

Build Baton Rouge President and CEO Chris Tyson is responding to criticism from Metro Council member Chauna Banks, who says the redevelopment authority isn’t doing enough to clear title to blighted properties and return them to commerce.

Are disaster losses tax deductible? Depends on Congress

If you had property damage from Hurricane Ida, flooding or the winter storm earlier this year, will the losses be tax deductible?

Build Baton Rouge under fire by Chauna Banks

As it has for the past three meetings, the Metro Council Wednesday deferred an item requesting a report from Build Baton Rouge President and CEO Chris Tyson on the status of the land banks the agency oversees for the city-parish.

Pelicans perks aside, quality jobs program has poor ROI

The Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s most recent analysis, which painted a lackluster picture of the state’s Quality Jobs incentive program, specifically excluded the New Orleans Pelicans from the study because, the auditors said, the extremely large salaries being reported by the team would have likely skewed the results.

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