A group of Louisiana voters has sued to keep two proposed constitutional amendments off the March 29 statewide ballot, arguing that the Legislature did not follow required rules in creating the proposals. Amendment 1 would allow the creation of new “specialty courts” focusing on narrow segments of law. As The Times-Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate’s Matthew Albright explains, the plaintiffs take issue with the way legislators advanced the bill that created the amendment:
The lawsuit claims legislative leaders advanced the bill to the floor of the state House, despite a 5-7 committee vote against it, which violated the proper process. It also argues the proposal violates a rule saying constitutional amendments can only address one change at a time, unless they are a full rewrite of a whole section of the constitution.
While current law already allows prosecutors to charge juvenile offenders as adults for certain violent crimes, Amendment 3 would expand that discretion to any felonies. Albright explains why the plaintiffs believe the proposal violates the constitution:
The lawsuit claims the bill did not fit within the boundaries of Gov. Jeff Landry’s call for the special session in which it passed. It also argues the bill’s title does not sufficiently explain what it does. “The same rules they expect us to follow, they’ve ignored,” said Norris Henderson, VOTE’s founder and executive director. “They assume nobody’s paying attention, but we know how these systems work.”
A different group of voters filed suit last month to keep a misleading tax amendment (Amendment 2) off the March 29 statewide ballot.
Education Department slashes half of its staff
The U.S. Education Department announced on Tuesday that it is laying off 1,300 employees – half of its current staff. The move came at the direction of President Donald Trump as his administration takes steps to dismantle the agency. Hilary Wething of the Economic Policy Institute provides a helpful reminder of the essential role that DOE plays for public schools:
The Department of Education (DOE) accounts for about 3.5% of the entire federal budget and provides crucial funding for public K–12 schools, narrowing some of the huge gaps between needed resources and state and local revenue. Specifically, the DOE provides funding for low-income children through Title I funds and funding for special education through IDEA programs. These resources help balance the scales of school funding, as high-poverty districts often get less funding from local sources, which rely heavily on property taxes. The DOE also administers crucial programs—like Pell grants and loans—that make college attendance possible for those who are not rich.
The Times-Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate’s Patrick Wall recently explained how gutting DOE would affect Louisiana, which relies heavily on federal education dollars.
NOAA cuts make extreme weather more dangerous
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, at the direction of President Donald Trump, will lay off more than 1,000 employees this week. The move comes after the agency already fired hundreds of weather forecasters and other workers last month. Margaret Orr, former chief meteorologist for WDSU in New Orleans, writing in a guest column for The Times-Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate, explains why gutting the federal agency would make it harder to prepare for the increasing number of extreme weather events in Louisiana:
Their whole purpose is to save lives. They give specific information on what areas are at risk for severe storms, floods, drought, fire, snow, wind, hail, tornadoes. I understand the need to cut waste and balance the budget, but leave the chainsaw at home for when you have a tornado, flood or hurricane. Do you want timely warnings? Cuts to NOAA and ultimately the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service must be made with the safety of all people in mind.
Policies that strengthen ACA marketplaces are under threat
The number of people getting health care through Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces doubled over the last five years and now sits at an all-time high. This surge was due to moves by the Biden administration to increase outreach efforts, simplify the enrollment process and make health care plans more affordable. Jennifer Sullivan of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities explains why these policies, such as enhanced premium tax credits, should be kept in place:
More than 90 percent of marketplace enrollees receive a premium tax credit (PTC), a subsidy that covers a portion, or in some cases all, of their monthly premium. Since 2021, premium tax credit amounts have been larger because of changes in the American Rescue Plan Act and the Inflation Reduction Act designed to make coverage more affordable. People are saving an extra $59 per month on average with the higher premium tax credit. For each of the years between 2022 and 2025, 4 out of 5 HealthCare.gov enrollees could find a plan for $10 or less per month after taking the premium tax credit into account.
Number of the Day
469 – Number of Louisiana schools that would no longer be able to provide free school meals through the Community Eligibility Provision under a potential federal budget cut. (Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)