There was $150 million in the “mega-fund” when Bobby Jindal took office. Now it’s down to $6.7 million, and prospects are dim for replenishing it. “I think the dollars have been used for meaningful projects that have been important for our economy,” he said.
Author Archives: Tyler Bridges
Tyler Bridges covers Louisiana politics and public policy for The Lens. He returned to New Orleans in 2012 after spending the previous year as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard, where he studied digital journalism. Prior to that, he spent 13 years as a reporter for the Miami Herald, where he was twice a member of Pulitzer Prize-winning teams while covering state government, the city of Miami and national politics. He also was a foreign correspondent based in South America. Before the Herald, he covered politics for seven years at The Times-Picayune. He is the author of The Rise of David Duke (1994) and Bad Bet on the Bayou: The Rise of Gambling in Louisiana and the Fall of Governor Edwin Edwards (2001). He can be reached at (504) 810-6222.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Tax hike? More cuts? Refilling state’s rainy day fund clouds state budget prospects
Tapping the state’s piggy bank has helped Jindal and legislators avoid tax hikes. But after pulling $255 million out of the rainy day fund, the state now has to find a way to replenish it in two years. But tax revenues are not forecast to rise enough to provide the money, foreshadowing tough choices ahead.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Sharp decline in state tax revenue during Jindal years bucks national trend
Shrinking government is a conservative ideal, but public institutions and infrastructure bear the burden.
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Investigations, Land Use
Parking lot owned by Landrieu siblings could be eligible for tax break to spur development
The Landrieus’ property is across the street from South Market District, a major development expected to boost the surrounding area. Like South Market, the Landrieus’ lot is close enough to the Union Passenger Terminal to get a tax break if it’s developed. No evidence has emerged to indicate the mayor used his influence to benefit the property, however.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Louisiana unemployment could surpass national rate as Katrina rebuilding tapers
The state has traditionally had higher unemployment than the national rate. The post-Katrina boom pushed it lower.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Southern Board’s scholarships cost the state more than $87,000 over two years
Southern University’s board members get two scholarships each to award.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
LSU Board of Supervisors awards $1.3 million through little-known scholarship program
The 16 members awarded 190 scholarships for the last school year. Though the scholarships are posted online, there aren’t any uniform policies for advertising them. It’s up to each board member, most of whom are politically connected, to decide. A new law mandates that the recipients are listed online, along with the board members who selected them.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Louisiana’s employment performance more mixed than Jindal portrays
Jindal often notes that under his watch, the state’s unemployment rate has been lower than the national rate. But unemployment has risen sharply since he took office, and since December the rate has risen while nationally it has fallen. However, economists say that Katrina rebuilding had pushed the state unemployment rate to artificially low levels.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Louisiana’s voter ID law from 1997 eases effects of Supreme Court decision
State was ahead of curve in requiring ID to vote, but provision for affidavit softened concerns, officials say.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Fiscal Hawks flew high in legislative session now ended, defying Jindal
Outflanking the governor from the right, the Hawks took aim at budgetary gimmicks.