Author: manshipxgr

Published: March 18, 2025

By: Ella Armstrong, Caroline Burk, Ty Cazeaux and Christian Gladne, LSU Manship School News Service

Bailey Tillman began her freshman year at McNeese State University in 2021 after new NCAA rules allowed college athletes to start making money. Attending a small school in a lesser-known conference, Tillman, a volleyball player, was not sure if local businesses would want to use her name or image in ads and other promotional activity – and national connections seemed impossible. 

            But by reaching out to companies on her own, she was able to scrounge up several so-called name, image and likeness, or NIL, deals. She earned $100 writing reviews for Twanie’s Terrific Treats, a cookie store in Lake Charles. And Avoli, a women’s volleyball brand, sends her products in exchange for her posting videos on Instagram of her taking them out of the box.

Read more at Lafourche Gazette.

Published: March 19, 2025

By: Grace Thompson and Gracelyn Farrar, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE–With President Donald Trump slashing the federal education budget, Louisiana school superintendents are scrambling to determine if they will lose any of the $2.7 billion in federal K-12 funding that has supported local school districts for years.

“We don’t have any backup for the funds if they were cut,” said Johnnie Adams, the school superintendent in Catahoula Parish. “Anything they cut, there’s a very slim chance we would have any other way to continue that program. Or if we did, we would be cutting money from something else.”

Read more at WWNO.

Published: February 21, 2025

By: Quinn Marceaux and Avery Sams, LSU Manship School News Service

Gov. Jeff Landry’s top budget and tax officials presented a plan for the coming fiscal year to a joint committee of the Legislature on Thursday, despite growing uncertainty over how potential federal funding cuts could affect the state’s finances.

With more than 50% of Louisiana’s budget relying on federal funds, potential cuts by the federal government to higher education, healthcare and infrastructure funding could create significant financial gaps for the state. Lawmakers also remain uncertain about budget items tied to the outcome of a state-wide vote in March over Constitutional Amendment 2, which was approved by the Legislature last November.

If voters pass the amendment on March 29, it would free up additional funding, allowing lawmakers to continue funding the $2,000 teacher stipend, which is currently not accounted for in the 2025-2026 budget.

Read more at WWNO.

Published: February 26, 2025

By: Morgan Carter and Madeline Waltman, LSU Manship School News Service

Louisiana’s reliance on federal funds for half of the state budget leaves it vulnerable as President Donald Trump and congressional leaders push for substantial cuts in federal spending.

Federal funds provided $21.4 billion, or 50.8%, of the $42.1 billion Louisiana state budget in fiscal 2024. Louisiana is usually ranked within the top five states with the greatest percentage of their budgets coming from federal funding, and residents who depend on Medicaid for health insurance or on food stamps could be particularly vulnerable.

Read more at Acadiana’s NewsChannel.

Published: November 26, 2024

By: Ella Ray, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE – It’s not often that Louisiana leads the country in any category. But for several years, the state has gone above and beyond in one category: sales tax. 

Friday marked the end of a special tax session in the Legislature, which cut income taxes and raised average sales taxes to 10.11% when state and local sales taxes are combined.          

Before the session, Louisiana’s average combined state and local sales tax was 9.56%, and the highest in the state was 11.45%, depending on local taxes. The highest possible rate now is 12%.

Read more at Lafourche Gazette.

Published: November 26, 2024

By: Ella Ray, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE – It’s not often that Louisiana leads the country in any category. But for several years, the state has gone above and beyond in one category: sales tax.

Friday marked the end of a special tax session in the Legislature, which cut income taxes and raised average sales taxes to 10.11% when state and local sales taxes are combined.

Before the session, Louisiana’s average combined state and local sales tax was 9.56%, and the highest in the state was 11.45%, depending on local taxes. The highest possible rate now is 12%.

Read more at KATC.

Published: Novemeber 25, 2024

By:  Quinn Marceaux and Grace Thompson, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE, LA — Republican Gov. Jeff Landry got the Louisiana Legislature to back his bet of lowering individual and corporate income taxes to stimulate growth in the state.

The Legislature adopted a 3% flat tax for individuals, trimmed corporate taxes and will make up some of the lost revenue by temporarily extending and increasing to 5% the state sales tax. Louisiana will now have the highest combined local and state sales tax in the nation at 10.6%.

The tax package, passed Friday with the required two-thirds votes in both chambers, received bipartisan support by aligning Louisiana’s taxes with successful neighboring states. The bills now go to the governor for his signature. The action Friday closed a special session of the Legislature that opened on Nov. 6.

Read more at WWNO.

Published: November 22, 2024

By: Quinn Marceaux and Grace Thompson, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE — Republican Gov. Jeff Landry got the Louisiana Legislature to back his bet of lowering individual and corporate income taxes to stimulate growth in the state. 

The Legislature adopted a 3% flat tax for individuals, trimmed corporate taxes and will make up some of the lost revenue by temporarily extending and increasing to 5% the state sales tax. Louisiana will now have the highest combined local and state sales tax in the nation at 10.6%.

Read more at St. Mary Now.

Published: November 20, 2024

By: Avery Sams, Ella Ray and Grace Thompson LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE — Some tax cuts adopted by the state House of Representatives last week were undone by a Senate committee on Tuesday when it took up major elements of the governor’s tax proposals.

The Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee backed away from abolishing tax credits for historic preservation of buildings and production of movies and TV shows. The committee also rolled back a corporate income tax cut from a 3.5 percent tax rate adopted by the House to a 6 percent rate, not as generous as the House, but still lower than the existing top rate of 7.5 percent.

Meanwhile, the House has not moved forward with Gov. Jeff Landry’s original plan to pay for income tax cuts partly by creating sales taxes on more than 41 services like car washes.

Read more at The Daily Star.

Published: November 15, 2024

By: Quinn Marceaux, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE – Gov. Jeff Landry’s ambitious tax plan, which had previously encountered minimal resistance, hit its first bump on Thursday as lawmakers balked at applying sales taxes to more goods and services that are tax-free now.

Lawmakers said Landry was unable to secure the 70 votes from the House of Representatives needed to pass a sales tax expansion that would tax more than 40 currently untaxed services, so the House delayed voting on it.

The bill, House Bill 9, would generate $500 million to partially offset the estimated $1.3 billion shortfall from cutting individual income taxes to a flat 3% tax.

Read more at WBRZ2.