BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana lawmakers advanced bills to flatten the state’s income tax rate and repeal the corporate franchise tax in a special legislative session focused on a sweeping tax reform package championed by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry.
The session started earlier this week and the bills quickly cleared committees despite pushback from Democratic lawmakers and groups such as those representing the film industry, which are set to lose tax breaks. The state House of Representatives could vote on the bills early next week.
One of the bills would introduce a flat individual income tax rate of 3% while increasing deductions for the lower income brackets. The legislative fiscal office’s former chief economist Greg Albrecht described the proposed income tax plan as “modestly progressive” compared to the existing tax code in a study commissioned by a coalition of nonpartisan policy think tanks.
Democratic Rep. Matthew Willard, the state House Minority Leader, said on Thursday that the income tax cuts would do little to help lower-income households. Citing Albrecht’s study, he noted that people earning between $25,000 to $30,000 annually would only get back $224 as a result of the proposed reforms.
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“Although this plan saves everybody money, the majority of people who truly benefit from it don’t need much financial help and the people who do need financial help are saving $200, $300 a year — but they need $1,000,” said Willard, a member of the House Ways and Means committee.
“If you look at the bigger picture, I mean really how you improve the lot of everybody, especially on the lower income brackets, is you get them a better job and I think you give them more opportunity,” said Richard Nelson, Secretary of the Department of Revenue and the architect of the governor’s tax reform proposals.
If approved, the flat income tax rate would leave the state with an estimated revenue hole of more than $1 billion, which Landry’s proposal calls for making up for primarily by expanding sales tax on dozens of services and digital goods such as streaming sites — likely a harder sell for the GOP-dominated Legislature moving forward.
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Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Brook on the social platform X: @jack_brook96
Louisiana governor signs law requiring Ten Commandments be displayed in classrooms
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A federal judge has temporarily blocked a Louisiana law that would have required public schools statewide to display the Ten Commandments in their classrooms by Jan. 1. U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles of Baton Rouge, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, ruled Tuesday that the law violates the free exercise and establishment clauses of the First Amendment.
The ruling found the Louisiana law was “unconstitutional on its face and in every application,” prohibited attorneys for defendants in this case from enforcing the mandate and required them to notify public schools of the change. Tuesday’s came alongside a preliminary injunction issued by the judge in a lawsuit brought by parents of a group of Louisiana public school students.
This is a developing story that will be updated with more information.
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Emily Mae Czachor
Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She covers breaking news, often focusing on crime and extreme weather. Emily Mae has previously written for outlets including the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.
Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (1-1) at Houston Cougars (1-1)
Houston; Wednesday, 8 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: Louisiana visits No. 8 Houston after Koron Davis scored 24 points in Louisiana’s 82-65 win against the Texas-Dallas Comets.
Houston went 32-5 overall last season while going 17-0 at home. The Cougars allowed opponents to score 57.6 points per game and shoot 37.9% from the field last season.
Louisiana went 5-9 on the road and 19-14 overall last season. The Ragin’ Cajuns averaged 8.6 steals, 3.8 blocks and 11.2 turnovers per game last season.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
University of Louisiana System President Rick Gallot said he is anticipating beneficial things for his nine universities after Donald Trump claimed last week’s presidential election.
“If the House doesn’t change, and Mike Johnson remains speaker, then obviously that bodes well for the Maritime Academy and some other initiatives that we’ve got commitments on from he and the other members of the delegation,” Gallot said at the Baton Rouge Press Club luncheon Monday.
The Legislature created the Universities of Louisiana Maritime Academy in 2023. It will primarily be based at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux and will specialize in training students for jobs navigating vessels inland and on coastal waterways.
Gallot also said former President Trump’s commitment to reversing oil and gas regulations could be good for his system, particularly McNeese State, home to the LNG Center for Excellence, which studies the liquified natural gas industry.
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When asked about the potential downsides of the administration, including rumors of scaling back or eliminating the U.S. Department of Education, Gallot said he is taking a wait-and-see approach.
“We will have to cross that bridge when we get there,” Gallot said. “Right now, I’m hearing some things that are, quite frankly, going to be beneficial to our institutions.”
In addition to potentially disbanding the Department of Education, policy experts predict Trump’s platform could have an impact on the number of student visa-holders that could affect universities that enroll a large number of international students. UL System institutions primarily serve students from Louisiana, however, with approximately 88% calling Louisiana home, Gallot said.
Gallot also said the UL System is unlikely to take any steps on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs until it has reviewed the data.
DEI has been in the crosshairs of right-leaning politicians across the country, premised on the idea that such programs bloat college budgets, increase student debt and conflict with conservative viewpoints.
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A bill to ban DEI on college campuses stalled in the Louisiana Legislature this year, but it is likely to pass in 2025.
LSU notably has taken advance measures to dismantle its own DEI programs in anticipation of this ban, but Gallot said the UL System will wait at least until a report on its schools’ DEI undertakings is complete to take any action.
A state law passed earlier this year requires an accounting of every DEI program at every school, as well as its cost and purpose, to be reported to the Louisiana Board of Regents at the end of the year.
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