Available for download: The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana’s 2018 legislature app is available for download on Apple iTunes and at the Google Play store. The app is a guide to the legislative session, featuring legislators photos, phone numbers, email address, websites, and social media handles. It also includes updated information on committee assignments and replacements for open seats. A paper guide will be available by March 8 and can be pre-ordered now. The special legislative session began Monday and ends on Wednesday, March 7. The regular session begins on Monday, March 12, and runs through Monday, June 4. Get more information.
Getting pumped: A new report released by two groups tied to the billionaire Koch brothers says a federal gas tax increase to help pay for upgrading U.S. roads and bridges would fall hardest on states won by President Donald Trump in 2016, Bloomberg reports. Trump has reportedly backed a gas tax hike to pay for infrastructure payments. But ten states, including Louisiana, would see the highest percentage increase in total gas tax liability. Trump won nine of the 10 states, according to Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners, which produced the report. Read more.
Powering up: Government mandates should keep U.S. solar power growing, despite new Trump administration tariffs on imported solar panels that are poised to raise prices, The Wall Street Journal reports. While the tariffs may slow the rate of solar expansion, local and state policies requiring utilities to procure renewable energy will continue to help create a baseline market for solar power, particularly for large, utility-scale projects. Read more (subscription may be required).
