A group of voters has filed suit to keep a proposed constitutional amendment off the March 29 statewide ballot. Amendment 2 is a full-scale overhaul of the longest, most complex section of the state constitution – Article VII, which governs taxes and spending. There are serious issues with the way the amendment is being sold to the public. The Times Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate’s Tyler Bridges reports: 

The lawsuit notes that state law requires ballot language to be “simple, unbiased, concise, and easily understood.” Amidst the lengthy ballot language for Amendment 2 next month, voters are told that voting for it would “provide a permanent teacher salary increase.” “But there is no salary increase,” the lawsuit says, “only the extension of an existing stipend that has been in place for several years. No teacher will be paid any more than they currently are due to this potential amendment, and some teachers may be paid less.”

The bill that created Amendment 2 is more than 100 pages long, but what voters will see on their ballots contains only 91 words. The lawsuit pushes back on the complexity of the proposal:

“There is no person in the State of Louisiana – including the legislators who passed HB7 – who understands all of the proposed changes to the constitution,” the lawsuit says. “The voters, however, are to be asked to vote on the proposed changes.” The lawsuit also says the 91 words include only the sweeteners in the proposed amendment – language aimed at drawing favorable votes. “None of the unappealing changes are included,” it says. “The ballot language is all dessert, no vegetables.”

Our new fact sheet explains why Amendment 2 would take Louisiana in the wrong direction. Click here to learn more. Join us for a webinar on March 12 at 12 p.m. to learn more about Amendment 2 and its implications. Click here to register.

Funding pause hurts Louisiana’s clean-energy economy

President Donald Trump’s funding pause for clean-energy projects is creating uncertainty in Louisiana’s efforts to transform its economy. During the Biden administration, many political and business leaders saw the impact that new solar, wind and other projects, spurred by federal investments, could have on job creation and the broader state economy. But as The Times Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate’s Sam Karlin explains, Louisiana’s push to become a clean-energy hub could stall under Trump:

Stephen Barnes, director of the Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Public Policy Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, said the state has finally started to diversify its petroleum-based economy after decades of talking about it. Barnes conducted a study on behalf of First Solar, an Arizona firm that announced plans to build a $1.1 billion solar manufacturing plant in New Iberia, finding the plant will support thousands of jobs. “The opportunity is now,” Barnes said. “It would be a real missed opportunity if we saw changes or even uncertainty at the federal level that would lead First Solar to reassess their plans and pull back on near-term growth.”

As Karlin explains, Trump’s preference for increased oil and gas drilling won’t necessarily be a boon for Louisiana:

U.S. oil production is already at a record high and has been for several years. And oil companies have found ways to operate with fewer workers, meaning jobs in drilling aren’t expected to skyrocket here. “Oil and gas production in the US is at historic highs right now,” said Greg Upton, executive director of LSU’s Center for Energy Studies. “Employment in those sectors has not grown with the growth of production. The reason for that is the story of efficiency.”

Hypocrisy on federal worker firings

Republicans in Congress are generally supportive of President Trump’s move to usurp their power of the purse and drastically reduce the federal workforce. That is, as long as the fired employees don’t live in their states. Jennifer Shutt of State Newsroom reports on GOP anxiety over the administration’s targeting of civilian workers:

Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy raised concerns about the impact firing employees at the Federal Bureau of Investigation would have on the state. “I am all for efficiency and ultimately downsizing the federal government, but firing large numbers of new FBI agents is not the way to achieve this,” Cassidy wrote in a social media post. “Louisiana specifically benefits from newly hired FBI agents. We need to add to our law enforcement, not take away.”

Support the unhoused beyond the Super Bowl 

In preparation for the city of New Orleans to host the Super Bowl, Gov. Jeff Landry’s administration financed a temporary living facility for unhoused people. The Times Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate’s Will Sutton explains that state leaders must look for permanent support for the unhoused: 

If we’re so concerned about how our state’s tourist jewel looks with people on the street, state and city officials need to find more money to fund creative, long-term housing options well in advance of the next time the state and the city host another NFL Super Bowl. It will cost millions, but more currently unhoused people will have housing vouchers to live comfortably in street-free, apartment-style or pod housing like what’s happening in Nashville. 

Number of the Day

19,442 – Number of civilian federal workers in Louisiana. (Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management via the Louisiana Illuminator)