RSS Feed

On the first day of the 2020 legislative session Monday, the first of his second term, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards stressed “investments in education at every level” during his State of the State address.
“I know that it’s going to take some time to fully recover from years of budget cuts and stagnant funding in education,” he said. “But we need to demonstrate to students, to parents and to educators that we are serious when we say we aren’t going back.”
Early childhood education is the “number one priority” of his second term, he said, calling for $25 million in new funding. He is also calling for an additional $39 million for K-12 education, which he is urging school systems to dedicate to teacher raises as part of a process begun last year to increase teacher pay to at least the regional average.
Edwards is proposing a $30 million increase for higher education while funding the TOPS and Go Grant scholarship programs “at their highest level ever.”
“For ten years, Louisiana disinvested in higher education more than anywhere else in the country, and we suffered the consequences,” he said. “For the next 10 years, let’s commit to reinvesting in higher education in order to strengthen our state.”
Edwards also wants to expand the number of Jobs for America’s Graduates programs, which serves at-risk youth, from 124 to 200 by the end of his second term.
Edwards stressed the importance of diversifying the economy. He said his newly formed rural revitalization advisory council will focus on “everything from better broadband and infrastructure to more opportunities for apprenticeship programs and dual enrollment.”
Edwards will push for legislation that would establish a state minimum wage of $9 per hour Jan. 1 that rises to $10 an hour six months later. Another bill he supports seeks to prohibit employers from retaliating against employees who discuss or disclose their salary, and bar employers from asking an applicant’s salary history as a condition of employment.
Studies show that pay transparency leads to more equity in how much employees are paid, he said.
“It is simply unacceptable that Louisiana continues to have the largest gender pay gap in the country,” Edwards said. “Quite frankly, I’m ashamed of that. All of us should be ashamed.”
Louisiana maternal mortality rates exceed the national average, and black women are four times more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death, he said. Edwards plans to enact a Maternal Mortality Review to ensure that any hospital or birthing center has written policies and procedures to investigate any maternal death and to do so in a timely manner.
Edwards also is supporting a series of bills by state Sen. Jay Luneau that would ban auto insurance companies from basing rates on gender, credit score, losing a spouse or being deployed in the military. Auto insurance rates should be based on driving records, he argues.
“If in addition to real insurance reform you want to pursue other efforts, I am willing to sit down with you and discuss with a goal of finding common ground,” Edwards said, presumably referring to various changes to the state’s civil legal system some legislators say could lead to lower rates.
Near the end of his speech, he urged lawmakers to work with him to encourage Louisiana residents to participate in the 2020 Census.
“Despite the obvious challenges that we face, I am as optimistic as ever about the future of this great state,” Edwards said. “And I look forward to forging new partnerships this session as we enter a new year, a new term, and a new chapter for Louisiana.”