Landry claims progress on economy, government reforms

Gov. Jeff Landry told a Morgan City audience on Monday about economic accomplishments by his administration. He also credited President Donald Trump for some business coming St. Mary Parish’s way.
Landry spoke Monday to the Atchafalaya Intracoastal Coalition at the Petroleum Club of Morgan City. He pointed to recent developments in St. Mary’s shipbuilding industry involving the Conrad, Metal Shark, Saronic and Bollinger shipyards.
“That is a direct result of the Trump administration building up our police,” Landry said.
The Trump administration has put border enforcement and drug interdiction among his administration’s priorities, sometimes to a controversial degree.
Conrad is the target for $140 million in recently appropriated defense spending for yard repair berthing and messing vessels. Metal Shark, recently acquired by Magnet Defense, is building patrol boats and autonomous vessels. Saronic acquired the Gulf Craft shipyard to build its own line of autonomous vessels for defense and commercial applications after a $300 million investment and the creation of up to 1,500 jobs.
Statewide, Landry said, his administration has attracted $70 billion investment with more to come. And he said that investment results from changes during his two years as governor.
“We’ve made so many changes, it’s hard for people to wrap their heads around it,” Landry said.
Among those investments are a Hyundai steel plant near Donaldsonville, nominally a $5.8 billion project, and a Meta data center in Richland Parish estimated to cost $10 billion. Landry says that company’s investment could grow to $50 billion.
Among the reasons Landry cited for the upturn in employer growth:
•Lower taxes. During Landry’s term, personal income taxes have been set at a flat rate of 3%, down from a top rate of more than 4%, and corporate taxes have been simplified and reduced to 5.5% from 7%.
Landry appealed to Monday’s audience to vote for a coming constitutional amendment that would phase out the inventory tax on businesses.
•Tort reform, which Landry called “meaningful, I mean historic.” A bill the governor signed last year gave the insurance commissioner more power to keep rates down; limited how much an uninsured driver can collect for damages from an accident; and prohibit drivers found to be at least 51% responsible for a crash to collect damage awards.
Thirty companies have filed for auto insurance premium reductions, Landry said.
•Workforce development. Louisiana school scores are on their way up, Landry said, and the state government is working to streamline training programs from the federal government.
•Cutting waste. Louisiana’s version of the Department of Government Efficiency, which had mixed results at the federal level, has eliminated $1 billion in state spending, Landry said.
That includes about $600 million involving administration of federal programs, he said.
•Justice system reform. Landry praised his administration’s accomplishments, much of which consisted of get-tough sentencing changes that reversed some of Gov. John Bel Edwards’ reforms in 2017.
But Landry criticized some of the resistance by judges.
“We’ve got great judges in places,” Landry said. “And we’ve got some bad judges in places.”
More people are staying or coming to Louisiana as a result of improved opportunity, the governor said. For two straight years, estimates of population migration have found more people coming to Louisiana than leaving, reversing a decades-long trend.
Critics have aimed darts at some of the changes Landry is taking credit for. Among them: The LA GATOR program, which would divert per-pupil spending from public schools to families to use for private schools.
The governor and the Legislature clashed over funding for the plan. Critics say two-thirds of the first year’s applicants already had children in private schools.
Others say the Landry justice reforms have increased the prison population and reduced the number of people leaving prison on parole.