In Louisiana, nearly 1 in 6 young people between the ages of 16 and 24 are not plugged into work or school. We call this population Opportunity Youth. The latest episode of the Didja Know Podcast focuses on how state policies and institutions can support these young people.

Louisiana’s economy works best when all citizens have access to great schools, affordable, high-quality health care, strong infrastructure, and a safety net for when families fall on hard times. A package of bills working its way through the state Legislature would pull Louisiana farther away from these goals, and instead leave the governor and legislators with massive budget gaps to fill in the near future. 

House Bills 133 and 337 would increase Louisiana’s Earned Income Tax Credit and create a state-level Child Tax Credit, respectively. Neva Butkus of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy joins the Didja Know? Podcast to explain the many benefits of working family tax credits.

On the latest episode of Invest in Louisiana’s podcast, executive director Jan Moller and policy analyst Paul Braun preview the 2025 legislative session and the state budget debate.

On Saturday, March 29, Louisianans will weigh in on four harmful amendments to the state constitution. Ashley Shelton, Founder, President, and CEO of the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice and attorney William Most join the podcast to discuss the proposals, including the unusual outcome of a lawsuit challenging a misleading tax amendment (Amendment 2). 

A Republican budget blueprint that’s moving through Congress would cut $880 billion, largely from the Medicaid program that serves people with low incomes and disabilities. In Louisiana, where 1 in 3 people are covered by the federal health care program, the cuts could force hospitals, nursing homes and other private care providers to shut their doors. Invest in Louisiana’s Jan Moller and Courtney Foster discuss the far-reaching consequences of gutting Medicaid.

The Didja Know? Podcast is back! In the first episode after our two-year hiatus, Invest in Louisiana’s Jan Moller and Paul Braun explain why Amendment 2, which will appear on the March 29 statewide ballot, would take Louisiana in the wrong direction.

In this week’s episode, LBP executive director Jan Moller and budget and tax policy analyst Paul Braun discuss how lawmakers are tackling tax and budget bills as spending debates heat up at the Capitol. 

The 2023 Louisiana Legislative session gaveled in last week. LBP’s Jan Moller and Stacey Roussel break down two bills that could have a meaningful impact on Louisiana families: House Bill 162 by Rep. Matt Willard, which would double the state Earned Income Tax Credit, and House Bill 596 by Rep. Aimee Freeman, which would establish a statewide paid family and medical leave program. 

In the latest edition of the Didja Know? Podcast, LBP executive director Jan Moller and the organization's newest policy analyst, Paul Braun, break down Gov. John Bel Edwards’ 2023-24 executive budget and the looming fiscal cliff the state faces in 2025.