Sen. John Kennedy emailed his supporters yesterday indicating his decision to remain in the US Senate and not seek election to Governor of Louisiana.
Posts filed under Louisiana
LANDRY: Louisiana Population in Decline
GROW LOUISIANA COALITION: End of the World, Center of the Universe
Partnership for Our Working Coast is an alliance of industry and environmental partners collaborating to contribute to the coastal resiliency of our community, the environment and industry. Port Fourchon’s plan to dredge Belle Pass to 50 ft. will result in millions of cubic yards of dredged material that can be used to strengthen critical coastal infrastructure. The goal of the partnership is to identify beneficial, nature-based solutions for this material to contribute to Louisiana’s coastal sustainability efforts, protect communities and support America’s Working Coast.Show less
PELICAN INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY: Louisiana Education Dashboard
Understanding the data is extremely important in evaluating trends associated with, and the performance of, Louisiana’s elementary and secondary education system. Despite spending the most per student in the southeast U.S., Louisiana consistently ranks at the bottom of the country in public school educational outcomes. While there has been incremental progress, it’s been very slow, and generations of kids have been shortchanged in the knowledge and skills they’ve acquired for their future. Positive change can only happen when there’s honesty and transparency about current performance, high standards for student achievement, a strong plan for school improvement, and a system of choice that empowers parents to select the school that best meets their child’s needs.
With this in mind, the below dashboard provides insights and comparable data on student enrollment, finances, and academic performance. View local data by selecting your parish or school system from the drop-down menu. Individual pages can be printed using the icons at the top right of the dashboard.
Read more: LOUISIANA EDUCATION DASHBOARD
Three Gubernatorial Races to Watch in 2023
State Attorney General Jeff Landry (R) is so far the only GOP candidate to announce a run, while other Republicans are expected to join the race. Sen. John Kennedy (R) has said he is seriously considering a gubernatorial bid, while others weighing a run include Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser (R), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R), Rep. Garret Graves (R), state Sen. Sharon Hewitt (R) and state Treasurer John Schroder (R), according to the Lafayette Daily Advertiser.
No Democrats have yet officially joined the field, but as the Hill noted, a Democrat candidate would likely face an uphill battle, as the last time the state elected a Democrat governor before Edwards was in 2003.
Read more: Three Gubernatorial Races to Watch in 2023
Violent tornado damages hospital, homes in New Iberia, Louisiana
NEW IBERIA, La. – Cleanup is underway after a violent tornado roared through New Iberia, Louisiana. Damage forced 60 families out of their homes in the city limits.
The tornado touched down near the Southport subdivision and damaged several homes there. Across town, it tore windows out of a medical center and the glass and debris rained down on the parked cars.
Read more: Violent tornado damages hospital, homes in New Iberia, Louisiana
HENRY: Give Our Vets The Best Care!
Written by Senator Cameron Henry - Cameron Henry is a member of the Louisiana State Senate representing District 9, which includes Jefferson and Orleans parishes.
In 2014, the Louisiana State Legislature passed House Bill 1065, authorizing optometrists to perform eye surgery despite the fact that they are neither medical doctors nor trained surgeons. I opposed that bill then and still oppose the policy.
Now, eight years later, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is taking steps in the same direction, which could put the health and safety of our nation’s heroes at risk. Optometrists are licensed to practice optometry, which involves services like primary vision care, including eye exams and fittings for glasses and contacts, as well as diagnosing and monitoring certain eye conditions. While optometrists play an extremely important role in eye care delivery, they are not qualified to perform eye surgery, including laser surgical procedures. Optometry’s education model doesn’t require students to attend any surgical residency, and any optional surgical courses available to optometrists don’t involve extensive training or procedures on live patients.
Read more: HENRY: Give Our Vets The Best Care!
LOUISIANA FAMILY FORUM: Lockdown Hurts Louisiana's Youngest
Last week, the Louisiana Department of Education released its annual Reading Report for children in kindergarten through third grade. The report revealed that older students are showing improvement, but younger children show a decline.
What’s the cause? Some think that “emergency” closures of schools and early learning centers coupled with mandatory masking delayed speech development and language acquisition.
Jeff Sadow writes: “The tail end of the cohort that caught the beginning of the pandemic restrictions in their crucial learning period are first graders today, while kindergartners are the first to bear the full brunt of restrictions. As it was, third graders scoring satisfactorily on reading were up 1.3 percent and second graders 1.9 percent, but first graders managed only a 0.6 percent gain in numbers and kindergartners dropped 2.3 percent.”
Public policy has consequences.
Supporting Port Fourchon, Protecting Louisiana's Coast
Partnership for Our Working Coast is an alliance of industry and environmental partners collaborating to contribute to the coastal resiliency of our community, the environment and industry. Port Fourchon’s plan to dredge Belle Pass to 50 ft. will result in millions of cubic yards of dredged material that can be used to strengthen critical coastal infrastructure. The goal of the partnership is to identify beneficial, nature-based solutions for this material to contribute to Louisiana’s coastal sustainability efforts, protect communities and support America’s Working Coast.
PAR Guide to the 2022 Constitutional Amendments
The 2022 Guide covers the potential impact of 11 constitutional amendments the public will consider on the Nov. 8 and Dec. 10 ballots. This nonpartisan, educational review helps you understand the issues and the proposed changes so you can develop your own positions on each proposition. To view the 2022 Guide, please visit the links below.
Click here to download the one-page PAR Guide to the December 2022 Constitutional Amendments.
Influential State Senator Voices Support For Carbon Capture Storage Amid Statewide Debate
Photo source: Louisiana State Senate
In a recent edition of the Abbeville Meridional, Senate Natural Resources Chairman Sen. Bob Hensgens voiced his support for Carbon Capture as a way for the Energy Industry can continue their important job creating function. He highlighted this 250,000 worker strong sector has been critical to the development of Louisiana and how CCS can continue to grow the LA economy.
Read more: Influential State Senator Voices Support For Carbon Capture Storage Amid Statewide Debate
UNITED IN VICTORY Republican Party of Louisiana Formally Endorses Jeff Landry for Governor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 14, 2022
BATON ROUGE, LA— The Republican Party of Louisiana today formally announced its endorsement of Jeff Landry for Governor. The announcement comes after a majority of the elected 230-person governing body of the party, the Republican State Central Committee, endorsed Landry’s candidacy and the Executive Committee approved the endorsement in a near unanimous vote.
"Jeff Landry is a strong leader ready to transform Louisiana. Jeff’s conservative vision for our state is one of job creation, better schools, safer streets, and raising expectations of state government,” LAGOP Chairman Louis Gurvich said. "The Republican Party of Louisiana proudly endorses Jeff Landry and urges all Louisiana Republicans to unite and support his candidacy.”
"When our party is united, we win, and our party is united behind Jeff Landry," stated Chairman Gurvich. “Our elected governing body sent a resounding message of support for Jeff by endorsing him in an impressive effort where a strong majority of our members spoke very clearly. We will flip the Governor's Mansion next year in Louisiana with Jeff Landry as our candidate," Gurvich said.
Gurvich also addressed recent media stories that incorrectly reported on the endorsement and got their facts wrong. “We know the liberal media is going to do everything they can to smear our party and attack Jeff Landry. Many of the reports on this endorsement were fake news that were based on leaks and bad information. This endorsement was the result of the majority of our two hundred plus elected members taking action and choosing to endorse Jeff. This process was covered by the media, and our members were sent numerous communications by those leading the endorsement effort. Others who are crying over this endorsement are just upset because they didn’t have the support within our party to win get the endorsement for themselves,” he said.
Jeff Landry expressed gratitude to the elected party leaders for trusting him to lead the Republican Party to victory.
"I have proven my commitment to our conservative principles, and my desire to bring people together to make our state a better place to live. As Governor, I will fight every day to make that a reality in Louisiana. Having the official endorsement of our party is a big deal, and it means we can combine forces and grow a campaign and party infrastructure across this state. We've watched our neighboring states thrive because conservatives were elected as Governor. United, our party will have that same success,” Attorney General Jeff Landry said.
The elected LAGOP State Central Committee has a long history of endorsing candidates via this process. This endorsement procedure has also been used to endorse previous candidates for US Senator, Congress and legislature. The party first created an endorsement procedure for statewide offices during the 1970's with the help of party elders like former Chairman William Nungesser who wisely wanted a framework for limiting the risk of having multiple Republican candidates seeking the same office and ultimately splitting their vote.
In 2015 and 2019, Democrats won the state’s highest office as the GOP fractured between candidates. Efforts to solve this dilemma by creating a closed primary election were strongly supported by party officials and many Republican legislators, but the Louisiana Legislature has failed to act.
The LAGOP is energized and will hit the ground running to help Republican candidates up and down the ticket in 2023. In the weeks and months to come, we will be opening LAGOP Victory offices across the state to provide resources to local Republican campaigns and volunteers.
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"So much is at stake in this next election. We saw the mess of the last two election cycles, where Republicans were divided and lost. The Republican Party is getting it right this time by rallying around Jeff's campaign. Committee members know we don't have time to wait for others to selfishly kick tires and float trial balloons. Jeff is the only person who’s shown the courage enter the race while others appeared to be waiting for the better deal. We need someone who is ready to go all in for our state."
-MISTI CORDELL
Member of the Republican State Central Committee
“I’m so glad our party is learning from its mistakes. We must be united to win, and Jeff Landry is the right candidate to unite behind. No one will outwork him, and no one has proven himself more to our party. The State Central Committee, the Chairman, and the Executive Committee deserve much credit for this decision.”
-WILLIAM P. MILLS, III
Former LAGOP Finance Chairman
“For decades, Republican volunteers have poured countless hours into winning elections. Unifying the party means we will spend time building momentum instead of wasting energy on nasty attacks that only benefit Democrats. Republicans are uniting behind Jeff Landry because they want to win and they want a strong conservative as Governor.”
-JESSIE MORTON, Former Chairwoman
Louisiana Federation of Republican Women
HEALTH FREEDOM LOUISIANA: You Can't Sue Pharma and Our Children Pay the Price
Photo source: Health Freedom Louisiana
The following was written by the newest Health Freedom Louisiana team member, Katie Green.
Imagine, if you will, a company so powerful that it controlled all the other companies; an industry so dominating, it was at the helm of the hospitals, the schools, government, and the entire country’s healthcare system. Now imagine that same company could harm individuals without having to suffer even a single consequence. Envision the hospital your grandmother resides in or the school your 5 yr old son is applying to next year entirely protected from any form of accountability or liability.
The majority of Americans believe that the large companies, agencies, and systems that “serve” them are all independently run. They are blissfully unaware of the hard hitting fact that the industries who dominate our lives collude, partner, and intertwine intimately together in an incestuous relationship with the government to shape the everyday existence of our domain. The landscape in which the public interacts with day in and day out traces back to the path of big pharma and its never-ending dance with monetary incentive.
The pharmaceutical companies are personally responsible for the engineered belief that toxins are healthy, children are born broken, immune systems don’t exist, and illness needs to be prevented with a cocktail of physiological mayhem.
Read more: You Can't Sue Pharma and Our Children Pay the Price
OCCUPATIONAL LICENSURE: IT’S NOT JUST REGULATIONS THAT ARE THE PROBLEM
Photo source: Facebook
The Pelican Institute has long advocated for increased freedom for Louisianans to work and pursue the American dream. In particular, we’ve called to reform government regulation and interference through occupational licensure – a form of government permission slips for individuals to work within a given profession – unless there exists significant risks to consumers or the public at large.
There is very little evidence that licensing improves the quality of services that consumers receive. Research consistently finds that it reduces the supply of workers, increases prices and other burdens for consumers, limits innovation, and reduces workers’ ability to seek opportunity in other states.
Read more: OCCUPATIONAL LICENSURE: IT’S NOT JUST REGULATIONS THAT ARE THE PROBLEM
LOUISIANA FAMILY FORUM: New Poll on Children Obtaining Transgender Procedures
A new poll from the Trafalgar Group surveyed Americans on their beliefs regarding children obtaining “transgender” procedures.
“Do you believe underage minors should be required to wait until they are adults to use puberty blockers and undergo permanent sex change procedures?” the poll asked.
The results remind us that most Americans hold a common sense viewpoint on the issue, despite the media narrative saying otherwise, with 78.7% of respondents saying minors should be required to wait until they are adults to obtain the procedures.
Even 53.2% of Democrats agreed, and unsurprisingly, 96.8% of Republicans agreed as well.
The media does not paint an accurate picture of how Americans really feel on the issues of our moment!
The PAR Perspective: Constitutional Amendments Explained
"Constitutional Amendments Explained" featured Barry Erwin, President of the Council for a Better Louisiana, and Jan Moller, Executive Director of the Louisiana Budget Project, who discussed the proposed amendments on the November 2022 ballot.
Republican Tim Temple Announces Candidacy for Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance
FROM IBERIA TO ST. MARY, WE DON’T NEED MISGUIDED LEGAL ACTION
In Louisiana, we have prided ourselves on creating energy for the world for more than a century. Energy production is not only critical to our state’s economy and local communities,
but also essential for our coastal protection efforts.
In fact, the only continuous source of funding for Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan comes from oil and natural gas production on and off our shores. Since 2017, oil and natural gas companies have generated $415 million directly for state coastal building initiatives, according to the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. In addition, energy leaders like Shell, Chevron and ExxonMobil invest millions of dollars into storm protection and coastal restoration efforts across Louisiana.
Even so, discussions have occurred in St. Mary, St. Martin and Iberia parishes about joining legal action against our state’s largest employer and number one private contributor of coastal restoration dollars—the oil and natural gas industry. The Freeport McMoran “settlement scheme” was created by a small group of trial lawyers and a company that no longer has any footprint or employees in Louisiana. Luckily, our local elected officials saw through the mirage.
For nearly a decade, these trial lawyers have pushed misguided litigation against Louisiana’s energy industry in our parishes and still have nothing to show for it. Terrebonne, Lafourche and Vermilion Parishes have all firmly stated they are against this misguided legal action. Statewide, the “settlement scheme” has failed at the Louisiana legislature twice already and a resolution explicitly opposing the lawsuits has passed both chambers.
Most recently, the St. Mary Parish Council voted down a resolution to support the settlement and refused to take legal action against the industry. During the council meeting, Councilman Scott Ramsey said, “These lawsuits have hurt Louisiana and they are going to hurt St. Mary Parish if we participate in this. The only ones that come out in this deal are the trial attorneys and they stand to make millions.” Parish President David Hanagriff said that he was on record for being against the legal action.
District Attorney Bo Duhe even stated at the meeting, “I said it from the very beginning that I would not file a lawsuit against these companies. My family has had oil and gas production on properties since the 1930’s. I realize how important an industry this is. I realize the benefit it has brought to our communities.”
DA Duhe further added, “I will continue to stay by this statement that I have not filed a lawsuit, I won’t file a lawsuit, here, now or in the future.”
This definitive vote by the St. Mary Parish Council proves that St. Mary Parish is committed to working with Louisiana’s oil and natural gas industry, not against it.
Earlier in September, after originally placing consideration of the settlement on the Parish Council agenda, St. Martin Parish reversed course and refused to consider this legal settlement move at all. This is all great news for the hundreds of thousands of people who depend on the industry everyday for their livelihoods.
The Grow Louisiana Coalition and our 110,000+ supporters thank our St. Mary and St. Martin Parish leaders for opposing this settlement scheme, standing up to lawsuits against the industry and showing parish residents that you stand with the oil and natural gas industry. This was a clear signal to industry opponents: St. Mary and St. Martin Parishes support jobs, not lawsuits.
We look forward to continuing our work so that other parishes may join St. Mary, St. Martin Vermilion, Terrebonne and Lafourche to voice strong support of our industry. Louisiana works when we work together.
Lawsuits not included.
— Marc Ehrhardt, Executive Director, Grow Louisiana Coalition
Holden Hoggatt Touts His Endorsement by "Lions of Acadiana"
In what has to be the dumbest political move in his campaign to replace Rep. Clay Higgins of District 3 - LA, Holden Hoggatt is touting the endorsement of three “Lions of Acadiana”. Who do these lions consist of? None other than establishment politicians like Democrats John Breaux and Chris John and RINO Charles Boustany.
“Today I’m proud to receive the endorsement of leaders who ushered in historic prosperity for our families and businesses, and showed up for our families on good days and bad for more than 50 years of combined service in Congress,” Hoggatt said in news release.
Read more: Former congressmen rally behind Holden Hoggatt in bid to upset Rep. Clay Higgins
Par Guide to 2022 LA Constitutional Amendments
The Public Affairs Research Council releases their Constitutional Amendments Guide for the 2022 elections. The information on these amendments can be found here: Par Guide to 2022 LA Constitutional Amendments
