Education
Our teachers and local school administrators are so worried about their bosses at the state Department of Education that we don’t get our kids out of classrooms and onto the playground.
Evidence says kids do better when you let them be kids and give them time to learn through activity. [1] They need PE, recess and extracurricular activities to learn teamwork and good citizenship.
Forcing teachers to “teach to the test” has failed our kids. Real learning opportunities in the classroom and on the playgrounds or athletic fields are lost because people decided that measuring was more important than learning.
Last school year started with Louisiana public schools being 2520 teachers short.[2] We don’t pay them and we don’t let them do their jobs. In Arkansas, the LEARNS Act increases the state’s minimum teacher salary from $36,000 to $50,000 and guarantees all teachers at least a $2,000 raise. [3] Louisiana's starting average for a first year teacher is just $40,500.[4] We need to raise teacher pay substantially to attract and retain good teachers.
Crime
We know that early childhood education reduces a child’s chance of future incarceration by 20%.[5] If we can cut crime 20% just by teaching kids to read and be good citizens in their early years, we have to do it.
We cut crime by cutting recidivism. That means GEDs or trade education; that means drug treatment; that means faith based programming. I believe in redemption. This is about public safety. We aren’t going to change all of them—some people don’t want to be saved—but if we can change some, we keep them from committing future crimes. If we can avert future armed robberies and murders through rehabilitation, I think we are morally compelled to try.
People who break the law need to be held accountable. Punishments need to fit the crime. When we have them in custody, we must prepare them to do better after they go back into our neighborhoods, because 85% of the people in jail today are going to be released. It is our duty to get them ready to hold a job, find a place to live, and to stay off drugs if we want to break the cycle.
We have to pay our police. In 2020, Forbes reported that Louisiana ranks 48th in terms of standard salary for police, with an average of $42,470.[6] We must acknowledge that the reason we rank at the bottom of the list in both education and crime is because we don't pay teachers, and we don't pay police. We must also prioritize paying our firefighters. In 2022, Louisiana ranked 51st in firefighter pay. [7]
Taxes
I am in support of renewing the temporary sales tax set to expire in 2025. We have underfunded priorities we must address including inadequate funding for essential services such as teachers, first responders, and infrastructure like roads and bridges.
Louisiana exempts state sales tax on food intended for home preparation and on medication, which has led to some considering reinstating taxes on these vital goods. I am absolutely against the imposition of new taxes on groceries and medicine.
I will also oppose efforts to adjust the homestead exemption. Such efforts are simply a tax increase on the poor.
Energy and Jobs
Energy policy is really about the economy and jobs, as evidenced by Shell's investment of over $1 billion into low carbon fuels in Convent. [8] Through their investments, the business community is telling us where we need to go to grow the good jobs of the future.
To encourage job growth, I support offering incentives to the biofuels and offshore wind energy industries, including the metal fabrication of turbines and offshore servicing. Rooftop solar also presents an opportunity for job creation, as demonstrated by the 9% growth seen in Texas last year. [9]
We spend too much time and money trying to attract low paying service industry jobs. Let’s get ahead of the game and leverage our energy expertise, coastline, and port complexes. The added bonus of promoting environmentally-friendly practices makes this approach even more desirable.
Coastal Lawsuits
Significant restoration efforts have been accomplished using funds from the BP settlement, which I had the honor of working on as an attorney. By cutting corners BP hurt our coasts and our jobs, and they were held accountable. I want to see that same accountability enforced through the coastal lawsuits. It is imperative that individuals responsible for causing damage are required to contribute to the necessary reparations, just as BP was held accountable. The courts will ultimately determine if an individual acted recklessly and the extent of their obligation to repair the damage they caused.
Transportation
Louisiana's roads have been ranked 48 out of 50 in a recent study conducted by the national transportation nonprofit, TRIP. [10]
In New Orleans alone, the average driver is burdened with a cost of $2,403 per year due to bad roads, including $685 in vehicle operating costs, $1,312 in congestion, and $406 in crashes. About 30% of New Orleans' roads are rated as poor, and another 29% are rated mediocre.
Statewide, Louisiana's roads cost drivers around $7.6 billion each year between vehicle operating costs, congestion, and crashes. It was reported that nearly half of our state’s major locally and state-maintained roads are in poor or mediocre condition. [11]
This alarming situation not only affects the smooth functioning of transportation but also leads to higher auto insurance rates. To combat this, the .45 cent sales tax must be extended to provide resources for state share of road projects and repairs.
Abortion
I am pro-life. My stance on abortion aligns with the beliefs of my faith.
