(The Center Square) − Louisiana lawmakers are putting insurance reform front and center this session, with Gov. Jeff Landry and Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple pushing legal and regulatory changes to combat high auto, commercial, and homeowners premiums.

The legislative session will begin Monday, with final adjournment scheduled for June 12. 

Temple calls the situation a crisis, and says the state must catch up to more competitive neighbors.

House Bill 34, backed by Landry, seeks to expand what evidence juries can hear in injury cases—a move aimed at curbing large verdicts. But tort reform remains divisive.

Sen. Jay Luneau, D-Avoyelles, argues such measures haven’t lowered auto rates in decades.

Commercial auto insurance is a pressing concern.

Rep. Gabe Firment, R-Grant, said businesses are parking trucks and laying off workers due to unsustainable premiums.

On the homeowners’ side, Temple wants to stabilize funding for the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program by redirecting part of the state’s insurance premium tax and modestly increasing fees on insurers. He’s also pushing to double the tax deduction for fortified roofs to $10,000.

Sen. Kirk Talbot, R-Jefferson, has filed a bill to create an income tax credit for homeowners who install them.

Temple is also advocating for more transparency from insurers on rates and discounts. Rep. Candace Newell, D-Orleans, signaled support for broader efforts to lower insurance costs during a Public Affairs Research Council panel.

Beyond insurance, lawmakers are also eyeing education and tax changes. Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-East Baton Rouge highlighted plans to seek $25 million in funding for the M.J. Foster Promise Program, which supports adult credentialing.

He also warned that 40% of Louisiana college graduates are leaving the state and said work is underway with higher ed leaders to better align universities with career pathways.

Edmonds praised rising education report card rankings and said high-dose tutoring is likely to receive renewed funding.

Meanwhile, several tax-related bills have been filed, including 11 which establish tax credits, including a credit for costs tied to developing carbon sequestration wells, for motor vehicle manufacturers and suppliers, and for pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturers. 

One proposal by Rep. Danny McCormick would repeal the motion picture production tax credit and reduce the individual income tax rate. Another bill by Rep. Ken Brass, D-Ascension, would extend a tax credit for C-corporations that pay local inventory taxes, but at a reduced rate.

Several bills were filed to limit the carbon capture and storage industry’s power, citing landowner rights, public safety concerns, and lack of transparency. The legislation includes proposals to ban CCS entirely, restrict eminent domain for CO2 pipelines, require near-unanimous landowner consent and enhance public notification and environmental safeguards.

The pushback reflects growing rural opposition to carbon storage projects, amid fears of groundwater contamination, proximity to schools, and erosion of property rights.

(The Center Square) – Small businesses owners applying for federal loans will now face extra identification requirements following changes by the Trump administration.

The Small Business Administration unveiled new fraud prevention efforts this week, including citizenship verification to ensure benefiting businesses are not owned wholly or partially by noncitizens.

The new rules also require date of birth verification to ensure loans do not go to applicants using the identities of children or the deceased.

SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said in a statement that the move builds upon other “common-sense reforms” the SBA and the Department of Government Efficiency are taking to root out and prevent “rampant fraud” occurring during the last four years.

“Unlike the previous Administration, we respect the American taxpayer and are dedicated to ensuring every dollar entrusted to this agency goes to support eligible, legitimate small businesses,” Loeffler said. “With these simple fraud prevention measures, we will end the abuse of our loan programs – with stronger safeguards to hold bad actors accountable.”

Loeffler referenced a DOGE investigation finding that between 2020 and 2021, SBA doled out thousands of loans worth $333 million to applicants more than 115 years old, and thousands more, worth $300 million, to borrowers under 11 years old. 

Much of the fraud stemmed from the lack of safeguards in aid programs that were created or greatly expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While SBA distributed more than $1 trillion in loans and grants to 10 million small businesses during the pandemic, more than 2 million recipients were “likely fraudulent” according to an analysis from the Government Accountability Office, as previously reported by The Center Square.

(The Center Square) – Parents can apply for Tennessee’s Education Freedom Scholarships in May, according to the Tennessee Department of Education.

The General Assembly approved the school choice program during a special session in January. Gov. Bill Lee signed the bill into law on Feb. 12. The program begins during the 2025-26 school year.

The scholarships will give students $7,295 a year for tuition and fees at the school of their choice. Half of the 20,000 scholarships available in the initial year of the program are based on income. The household income must fall 300% below the federal free or reduced-lunch price guidelines, which is $173,160 a year for a family of four, according to the department.

The remaining 10,000 scholarships are “universal” with no restrictions.

Families must prove that the student is a U.S. citizen or is lawfully in the country, according to the guidelines.

“For the first time, Tennessee parents in all 95 counties will have the opportunity to enroll their child in the school of their choosing, regardless of income level or ZIP code,” Lee said. “Nearly 200 schools have already signaled intent to participate in the Education Freedom Scholarship program, and I have full confidence in the Tennessee Department of Education’s ability to process applications and deliver excellent educational choices for parents in the coming school year.”

The scholarships will cost the state nearly $146 million in the first year and $188 million in future years, according to the fiscal note on the school choice bill.

Georgia is also beginning a school choice program in the 2025-26 school year. The online application process ends Tuesday, according to the Georgia Promise Scholarship’s website. Students must live in the attendance zone of the 25% lower-performing public schools to receive the $ 6,500-a-year scholarships, which must be used for a private school.

The Georgia General Assembly allocated $141 million for the scholarships.