With billions of dollars in federal tax incentives now available under the Inflation Reduction Act, states that welcome clean energy stand to gain jobs, tax revenue and long-term energy security. These incentives are especially important in Louisiana, which ranks 31st in the U.S. for installed solar capacity, according to the Solar Energy Association. But House Bill 459 by Rep. Kimberly Coates threatens to complicate, and possibly hinder, the development of large-scale solar energy in Louisiana. A new issue brief by Invest’s climate policy fellow, Emanuel Lain III, explains:
While this bill is presented as common-sense regulations on the solar industry, a closer look suggests it would make Louisiana less attractive for renewable investments and complicate the transition to a clean, resilient energy future. At a time when Louisiana should be seizing opportunities to lead, HB 459 risks sending the wrong signal to investors and communities. … Louisiana stands at an inflection point. The state can embrace a clean energy future that Louisiana would lead, or it can create artificial barriers that deter investments.
Another dismal KIDS COUNT ranking
Children in Louisiana continue to suffer from high rates of poverty, struggling families and poor health outcomes, according to the 2025 edition of the KIDS COUNT Data Book, produced by the Annie E. Casey Foundation with its Louisiana partner, Agenda for Children. Louisiana ranked 49th among the 50 states – ahead of only New Mexico. The Pelican State has made strong gains in education, especially in providing access to early care and education, but continues to be held back by other indicators of economic well-being:
“Louisiana’s improvements in education show the power of using evidence-based strategies to improve outcomes for kids, as well as the value of making smart investments in our state’s most precious resource – our children,” said Jennifer “Jen” Roberts, CEO of Agenda for Children, Louisiana’s member of the Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT network. “Moving our state from 49th in overall child well-being won’t be easy, but we do know what works: improving families’ economic security, making sure children have nutritious food, and building safe, opportunity-rich communities. Making the right investments and policies in children now will not only change the trajectory of their lives, it will also change the trajectory of our entire state and economy.”
View Louisiana’s data profile here.
Fiscal responsibility in the Senate
The Louisiana Legislature is poised to finish its work this week without enacting large new tax cuts or making broad new spending commitments. As a Times-Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate editorial explains, most of the credit belongs to the state Senate, which pushed back against a package of tax-cut bills from the House and put the brakes on Louisiana’s new private school voucher program. It’s a good time for the Legislature to show some restraint:
We hope lawmakers who still have a chance to weigh in will keep in mind the unsettling fiscal uncertainty from Washington, where Congress may cut Medicaid and other programs on which Louisiana’s budget relies, as well as policy shifts affecting major sectors such as trade and international tourism. There’s also uncertainty in Baton Rouge, where lawmakers passed major changes to the tax system just last year and have yet to see how they’ll play out. We actually wish we’d see more of this type of thoughtful deliberation from our representatives in Congress, where Republicans majorities in both houses have mostly done President Donald Trump’s bidding rather than embracing their constitutional role providing checks and balances.
Tax increase on sports betting
Louisiana’s tax on online sports betting would increase from 15% to 21.5% under legislation that cleared the Louisiana Senate on Sunday. As the Louisiana Illuminator’s Piper Hutchinson reports, the revenue generated from House Bill 639 will be used to subsidize college athletic programs:
One-fourth of that revenue would go to the Supporting Programs, Opportunities, Resources and Teams (SPORT) Fund to benefit student-athletes at Louisiana’s public universities that compete at the NCAA Division I level — UL Lafayette, UL Monroe, Louisiana Tech, LSU, Grambling, McNeese, Nicholls, Northwestern State, Southeastern, Southern and the University of New Orleans. Under the new tax rate, Louisiana would receive about $77 million annually from sports gambling, with about $20 million dedicated to the new fund. Each school would get approximately $1.7 million annually.
Some questioned using the new revenue on college sports, at a time when Louisiana faces looming budget shortfalls and contends with the negative side effects of legalized gambling:
“Legalized mobile gambling has created or exacerbated many social and cultural problems, including addiction, bankruptcies and even increases in domestic violence,” said Peter Robins-Brown, executive director of Louisiana Progress, an advocacy group for working-class and marginalized communities. “New tax revenue should be used first and foremost to address some of those problems before we talk about spending more money on college sports.”
The bill now heads to Gov. Jeff Landry’s desk for his signature or veto.
Number of the Day
35th – Louisiana’s rank for child education. (Source: Annie E. Casey Foundation 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book)