EJBA GOVERNMENT NOTES SEPTEMBER 2022

• A $50 Million federal grant to create clean hydrogen has been awarded to the South La. Regional Partnership
• LA also received another $100 Million in transportation aid; much needed since the Transportation Trust Fund just announced an expected loss of half billion dollars in the next decade due to fuel efficiency and electric vehicles.
• LA Public School teachers may qualify for Student Loan debt forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness and the La. schools do not have to implement Biden’s new transgender protections.
• Entergy customers can apply for $150 credit; pay no late fees; and disregard disconnect notices with a payment plan.
• Jefferson Parish has rolled out a new program for 1^st-time homebuyers and has allocated $275,000 for 53 low-income residents to attend early childhood pre-schools.
• The JP Council and Administration have also installed cameras on the road leading to landfills to catch violators with garbage flying out of their vehicles for litter abatement.

EJBA GOVERNMENT NOTES AUGUST 2022

• LA has again been ranked at the top for workforce development according to Business Facilities magazine.
• LA could get a bump in cash by selling its water to many western states, but presently giving it away to them.
• LA Judge that Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon abused his power trying to force insurance companies to pay evacuation costs.
• The LA bailout fund will borrow $600 million after seven LA insurers went bust following Hurricane Ida.
• A push by state education officials to toughen public high school grades failed although our system does not align with ACT scores or college entry; however, we have seen a slight rebound in standardized test scores, namely due to in-person learning.
• New Orleans Airport officials want to build a connector road from the upcoming Amtrak station to the new terminal; but the I-10 fly-over has been postponed until 2023.
• In Jefferson Parish, an attempt to take over the Shrine on Airline is happening and to possibly host a professional soccer league.

EJBA GOVERNMENT NOTES JULY 2022

• Legislature wrapped up in June with a few new laws enacted, to name a few: Nursing homes must submit an emergency preparedness plan, landlords cannot evict tenants who have evacuated for a storm, individuals may surrender their firearms and have them returned under an agreement, La. can sell medical marijuana to non-La. residents with a medical marijuana card, the odor of marijuana alone is not probable cause to retain a search warrant, limit of police booking photos for nonviolent crimes, prohibit solitary confinement for juveniles with some exceptions, civil remedies for parents of minors exposed to online pornography, public high schools will adopt policies for pregnant students and give time to breastfeed children during school hours; signed the Offshore wind energy bill authorizing the state to take a cut of the wind farm revenues and charge the lease fee, and Hybrid and electric vehicle owners will soon pay an annual road fee possibly through state income tax filings.
• Edwards vetoed several bills including: charter schools to be approved by the state board instead of local school boards, an education savings account for students with disabilities or struggling to read to find better non-public options, grant state dollars to follow students that want to leave struggling public schools for private institutions, and vetoed the authority of state buildings during an emergency.
• The legislators that have disagreed with the Governor’s vetoes do not have the votes to convene a Veto special session.
• Entergy has a summer cash-incentive program for companies that apply energy-saving facility upgrades.
• US Supreme Court put a hold on redrawing La.s new congressional district before the 2022 elections.
• The US Supreme Court also voted to allow for prayer in public schools, overturned the federal abortion law of Roe versus Wade and gives authority to individual states, and gun rights in the New York Rifle and Pistol Assoc. versus Bruen.
• In Jefferson Parish, our animal shelters have a surge of surrendered animals and in desperate need of adoptions and foster care for large and small dogs.
• A call for the Bridge City Center for Youth to be closed after several brawls and escapes. In the meantime, the state police have been called in to carry tasers, pepper spray, and use-of-force techniques often reserved for adult prisoners.

EJBA GOVERNMENT NOTES APRIL 2022

• will partner with Arkansas and Oklahoma in developing clean hydrogen as fuel to bring in federal dollars to the region
• NASA’s Stennis Space center is now using drone technology for aerial imagery, inspections, and mapping and other dangerous missions.
• The La. Community and Technical Colleges have partnered with La. Economic Development to use federal dollars in developing a skilled workforce against future natural disasters and flood protection.
• Lawmakers overrode the Governor’s veto of the congressional district map.
• Mobile Sports Betting generated $2.2 million in taxes for February alone
• Social Studies curriculum will be implemented by 2023 to address critical race theory
• Brittany and Drew Brees launched The BuildStrong Academy in Kenner to train construction workers.
• At New Orleans airport, Breeze Airways, will add a new route to Jacksonville, Fla. this summer.
• The Viking cruise line began its final stage of construction before opening its Mississippi River cruises from New Orleans to St. Paul, Minnesota.
• US government announced all new vehicles will have to travel an average of 40 miles per gallon by 2026
• Jefferson Parish voters will go to the polls on April 30th for RENEWAL of Consolidated Road Lighting District AND a half-cent tax RENEWAL for Jefferson Parish schools.
• Last, but not Least, NOCHI announced it will offer a Professional Wine Certification course possibly led by Mildred.

EJBA GOVERNMENT NOTES SEPTEMBER 2018

• Delgado Community College River City Campus will open this fall focusing on technical skills.
• Medical Marijuana availability has been pushed back to November from September
• According to a Glassdoor.com report, Technology and Healthcare are the highest paying industries. GNO is #1 in the USA growth in Technology (SmartAsset, 2017) and Healthcare jobs. (STAT, 2017).
• A new study from LendingTree has named New Orleans #3 in the USA amongst “cities where young entrepreneurs are making their mark and forming the next wave of million- and even billion-dollar businesses.”
• November 6^th are upcoming elections for Secretary of State, and local JP School Board seats. We also have several TAX RENEWALS (NOT A NEW TAX) on the ballot.
• New Orleans and Jefferson Parish have started a Pilot Program allowing bus riders all-day access to ride the route on South Claiborne past South Carrollton ending its route instead at Ochsner Hospital on Jefferson Highway. This gives all passengers a quicker and less expensive trip than having to transfer to a Jefferson Transit line. 
• Rail Upgrades for the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge are back on track after a four month delay. The project should be complete by December 2019.