Five of the 10 proposed constitutional amendments on Louisiana’s Nov. 3 statewide ballot deal with property taxes. Four of the five propose to carve out new tax breaks for specific groups, including senior citizens, people who rehabilitate blighted and derelict properties, and surviving spouses of disabled veterans. The fifth proposal (Amendment 2) aims to give local authorities more flexibility in rolling forward their millages after home values are reassessed. The Times-Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate’s Alyse Pfeil reports:
(S)ome say there is reason for caution when it comes to lowering property taxes. “We have concerns about measures that continually chip away at the property tax base,” said Jan Moller, CEO of Invest in Louisiana, which advocates for policies that benefit low- and middle-income people. “Local governments have very few options for raising money to provide basic services,” Moller said. “They have property taxes and they have sales taxes. And property taxes are what supports public schools, parks, libraries, code enforcement, sidewalks and streetlights — a whole lot of things that make communities livable for everybody.”
The newspaper’s editorial board similarly urges against new tax breaks, and recommends “no” votes on four of the five.
(W)e have generally opposed erosion of our tax base with exemptions that create special classes of citizens. We all benefit from the services that government provides and should contribute to their continuation.
Invest in Louisiana will publish a guide to all 10 amendments later this week.
The SNAP cost shift
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is America’s primary defense against hunger. Since its inception, the federal government has covered the cost of benefits, while the costs of administering the program were split evenly between Washington and states. That changed on Oct. 1, when the federal government began requiring states to cover 75% of administrative costs. The shift, which is a consequence of the federal megabill, is expected to cost Louisiana about $56 million a year. Many states will also have to start covering a share of benefits next year. A new report from MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, explains what’s at stake:
Reducing the federal government’s share of costs is unlikely to reduce the actual cost of running SNAP. Rather, it changes who pays. Faced with new, multimillion dollar funding gaps, states will have to raise new revenue, cut other programs, or scale back SNAP administrative capacity itself: Fewer caseworkers, longer wait times, and higher payment error rates.
Disclosure: MAZON is a financial supporter of Invest in Louisiana.
Childcare is economic development
Louisiana would generate an additional $5.3 billion a year in economic activity if every family had access to comprehensive, high-quality early childhood education for children from birth through age 4. That includes $3.2 billion in additional earnings, and $129 million per year in new tax revenue. The findings come from a new study by LSU and the University of Louisiana, in partnership with the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children. The Baton Rouge Business Report has the details:
Louisiana’s labor force participation rate stood at 58.2% in 2025, compared with 62.4% nationally. Researchers estimate that expanding access to early childhood education could add 29,442 people to the state’s labor force, assuming a 10-percentage-point increase in maternal labor force participation. … The report’s economic projections are based on studies of early childhood education expansions elsewhere. The analysis does not estimate the cost of implementing universal early childhood education statewide.
The benefits of home visits
Home visits by trained health care professionals during the critical first few months of a baby’s life have proven benefits for parents and children, leading to fewer emergency room visits, lower Medicaid costs and improved cognitive development. Louisiana recently received a $1 million boost for its Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, and earlier this year became the first Southern state to require insurance companies to cover home visits. The Times-Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate’s Marie Fazio explains:
Providers visit the homes of expectant and new parents for the first few years of a baby’s life and offer personalized advice and lessons on whatever the parents need, completely for free. Topics can include how to babyproof a home, breastfeeding and safe sleeping or the importance of reading and early language development. They also help parents access mental health support, food and housing assistance and other resources.
Number of the Day
39% – Percentage of median family income that a single-parent family spends on infant care in Louisiana, compared to 33% nationally. (Source: Louisiana Policy Institute for Children)