Louisiana would be able to hold children in custody for longer periods without a conviction under legislation that advanced out of a House committee last week. The Times-Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate’s Meghan Friedmann breaks down the changes House Bill 140 would make to the state’s juvenile justice system:
(W)hen youth are placed in the juvenile system, they are supposed to be convicted or released no more than 60 days after their appearance hearings. Nonviolent crimes have a 30-day deadline. HB140 would double the adjudication timeline for violent crimes from 60 to 120 days, and it would triple the timeline for nonviolent crimes from 30 to 90 days. And, once the allotted time runs out, youth could only be released with two written defense motions and after a hearing in which the prosecutor could argue there was a good reason for the delay.
The legislation would increase juvenile detention and hinder rehabilitation:
Though he did not take an official position on the bill, Anthony Celestine, who directs Calcasieu Parish’s juvenile detention center, told legislators it would increase the number of youth held pretrial, and that his facility might not have the capacity to handle them. He also said extended pretrial detention can harm children and hinder their chances at rehabilitation. “We don’t want to get to the point where we’re adultifying the juvenile system,” Celestine said. “The longer a kid is taken out of school and out of the home it does disrupt their day-to-day operations.”
Benefits of Meta data center must last
Recent reporting by The Times-Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate’s Stephanie Riegel explained how Meta’s $27 billion data center is bringing an economic windfall to Monroe and other parts of northeast Louisiana. Riegel did note, however, that the AI gold rush was not spreading evenly throughout the city. The Advocate’s editorial board urges state leaders to ensure the data center benefits last:
Right now, the region is drinking from the overflowing cup of a massive construction project with workers, contractors and subcontractors in droves. When that work is done, the data center will employ far fewer than it took to build it. But the economic growth it has spurred must continue well past this phase. … Louisiana has gone all in on data centers: Already there are similar, though smaller, such facilities planned for the Shreveport region and West Feliciana Parish. As the Meta center shows, the rewards, even in the short term, can be great. But if state and local leaders don’t handle it well, this boom too could go bust.
Invest in Louisiana’s Emanuel Lain, III breaks down how Louisiana’s data center regulations and incentives compare with other states.
Lawmakers want solutions on child welfare
The effort to abolish the Department of Children and Family Services has stalled – for now – but scrutiny of the beleaguered agency continues. The Times-Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate’s Alyse Pfeil reports what the next steps are for the state’s child welfare agency during the legislative session:
On Friday, [DCFS Secretary Rebecca] Harris said legislation could help with stabilizing the workforce, allocating more staff for prevention and family support efforts, and better coordination with courts and law enforcement. But she also noted not all improvements hinge on changing the law. What’s most needed is ensuring that department policy and day-to-day practice align with Louisiana’s existing legal framework, she said.
Gov. Jeff Landry and Harris have touted the administration’s DOGE-like “fiscal responsibility program” as a way to right the ship at DCFS, but legislative leaders are skeptical:
“DOGE-ing your way to a solution is not the solution at all,” [Sen. Patrick] McMath said. He contended the remit of the child welfare agency is unique and, for example, unlike the transportation or economic development departments. On Friday, Landry defended Harris. “My administration fully supports Secretary Harris and the work that DCFS does,” he said.
Too many households don’t have enough to eat
Nearly 1 in 3 households were food insecure last year, according to new analysis from the Urban Institute. Their report explains the risks that hunger poses for children and their families:
Food insecurity is associated with multiple challenges for children as they grow and develop, including greater instances of fair or poor health, higher rates of hospitalization, and greater likelihood of cognitive/developmental delays (Gallegos et al. 2021; Gundersen and Ziliak 2015). Persistent exposure to food insecurity as a child can contribute to worse health outcomes later in life (Lam, Gauen, and Kandula 2025; Metallinos-Katsaras et al. 2012), with long-term effects on community well-being.
The federal tax and budget megabill makes changes to food assistance programs that will exacerbate food insecurity:
(E)xtended SNAP work requirements and time limits to families with adolescent children 14 and up. States will also be required to share the costs of benefits in fiscal year 2028 and beyond, making it more difficult for state SNAP programs to maintain current eligibility and benefit levels, which are already well-documented as inadequate (Waxman and Gupta 2024). Changes that may affect both SNAP and Medicaid enrollment may also ultimately affect direct certification for and overall participation in child nutrition programs (Gutierrez 2025).
Number of the Day
$0.43 – Change in the average price per gallon of gas in Louisiana since March 13, which is tied for the seventh-highest increase in the nation. (Source: OPIS via the Wall Street Journal)