Louisiana
Search: How millions will be spent at Louisiana colleges and universities • Louisiana Illuminator
Louisiana’s colleges and universities are taking home millions for construction and other budget needs. It’s perhaps the last such funding boost before the loss of state tax revenue could slash a quarter of a billion dollars from their operations in the 2026-27 academic year.
The state budget for fiscal year 2024-25, which started Monday, includes approximately $589 million in immediate construction for higher education and around $93 million for research, campus security and other special projects.
Unless state lawmakers make sweeping constitutional changes, higher education and public health care are likely to face drastic cuts once a 0.45% portion of the state sales tax expires June 30, 2025.
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Building boon
The state construction budget, detailed in House Bill 2, provides allocations for each state university system, including an investment in the planning process for a new LSU library at its main campus. Overall, it includes less immediate money for campuses than the previous year, and it lays out promised funds for upcoming years.
Projects in the LSU System are slated to receive about $186 million this year. In addition to planning a new library — more money will be delivered when construction is underway — around $65 million has been allocated for a new science building, and another $51 million was set aside for renovations at the medical education building laboratory at LSU Health Sciences Shreveport.
The Southern University System will receive about $67 million. The largest portion, $22 million, will be used for a new science, technology, engineering and math complex at the main campus in Baton Rouge.
The University of Louisiana System is slated to receive around $136 million. That includes $16 million to renovate the health science complex at the University of Louisiana Monroe and $14 million to replace a major academic building at Northwestern State University.
The Louisiana Community and Technical College System will receive around $34 million. Its biggest project is $21 million for a new building and campus development at Baton Rouge Community College
Search through a complete list of projects receiving funding this year in the state construction plan in this interactive chart.
Extra cash
Each system is slated to receive a little extra cash for special projects, research and campus improvements.
LSU will receive $6 million for graduate assistantships, a continuation of an investment made last year to increase the minimum stipend for degree-seeking graduate assistants. The LSU AgCenter will receive $4 million to modernize equipment and an additional $2 million for research and extension-related projects.
In the University of Louisiana System, Grambling State University will receive $250,000 for new uniforms for its World Famed Tiger Marching Band, Nicholls State University will receive $125,000 for campus police equipment and the University of Louisiana Monroe will receive $4 million for its pharmacy school.
The Southern University System will receive $3 million for accreditation-related expenses at Southern University New Orleans, $1 million for crime prevention in Baton Rouge and $250,000 for the workforce development center at Southern University Shreveport.
Search through a complete list of projects receiving funding this year in the state construction plan in this interactive chart.
A state lawmaker whose district includes Iberville and nine other parishes will lead the way on the drawing of a new congressional map when the committee convenes Friday.
Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen, will chair the hearings to draw a new congressional district map. He currently serves as chairman of the U.S. Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee.
On Wednesday, Kleinpeter said he has not worked on any maps. He is letting the committee members and the members of the Senate work on this with staff.
The move will come nine days after the U.S. Supreme Court on a 6-3 vote ruled one of Louisiana’s two majority-Black U.S. House districts unconstitutional.
“We can’t base it on race anymore, so the minority party is the Democrats,” he said. “The Democrats have migrated away from the New Orléans area, so we’re looking at Democrats versus Republicans, so the minority party — the Democrats — which means it’s more favored toward Baton Rouge.”
The move would work in favor of incumbent 6th District Congressman Cleo Fields, who was a candidate for the race which Gov. Jeff Lndry suspended in the wake of the Supreme Court decision.
The ruling stemmed from Louisiana vs. Callais – a consolidation of Robinson vs. Callais – that centered on racial gerrymandering and redistricting in the state of Louisiana following the 2020 United States census. The lead plaintiff, Phillip “Bert” Callais, is a resident of Brusly.
The Supreme Court vote came despite the African American population comprising nearly one-third of the state’s population.
According to the 2020 Census, the Black or African American population in Louisiana was approximately 1,464,023,representing 31.4%of the state’s total population. Louisiana has one of the highest percentages of Black residents in the United States, ranking second behind Mississippi.
The Baton Rouge district would likely be the area to undergo the remap, he said.
It amounts to an intricate balancing act.
“What far-right Republicans don’t understand is that with Congress maps, you have to be within 776, 280 votes – within 50 votes of the other districts,” Kleinpeter said. “It’s not like our legislative maps where you can be off by thousands … when you start changing a precinct, it can run down a rabbit hole chasing this precinct over here and over there.
“We can easily draw a really strong nine Republican and one strong Democrat, so if you start watering districts down you could wind up with a 4-2 map.”
Republicans currently have a two-vote super majority vote.
“But some Republican districts are strong and others are weak,” Kleinpeter said. “If you take 58 percent Democrats and put them in Republican districts, you could end up losing Republicans.
“Drawing congress maps is very difficult – you have the leader of the party, and you have the Speaker of the House you have to protect,” he said. “You don’t want to jeopardize their maps at hole.”
One other issue is looming for the state, Kleinpeter said.
“What people don’t understand is that we will have to do this all over again in five years, after the next census comes out,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll people by that time.”
The 2030 Census will play a key role in the process, but it still requires participation.
“I had plenty of next-door neighbors who didn’t want to fill out their census” he said. “I’m going to push to fill out their census. We miss out on federal money and potentially risk losing a seat. “
Neuty, the iconic Bucktown nutria visits the state capitol, with Myra Lacoste, Denny Lacoste, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, Dennis Lacoste Sr., and Louisiana state Senator J. Cameron Henry Jr. Neuty was an orphan, rescued by the Lacostes. In March 2023, LDWF agents attempted to confiscate the illegal pet.
VIDALIA, La. — Louisiana State Police arrested 18-year-old Gregory Steele early Sunday morning on two counts of vehicular homicide, one count of underage operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, one count vehicular negligent injuring and one count careless operation, according to Concordia Parish Jail records.
Steele, 18, a white male, was arrested in connection with an accident that occurred at approximately 1:54 a.m. on Sunday morning on Minorca Road in Vidalia. Two passengers in the vehicle were killed. Steele and another passenger were able to escape the vehicle.
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