My bill, HB 490, is proceeding to final passage today. It has passed unanimously in both the House and Senate and creates an Advisory Council on Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education. HB 490 establishes an interagency government board tasked with collecting data and implementing a unified, state-wide strategy to combat the opioid epidemic that we face.
Read MoreI began my career as an Assistant District Attorney in New Orleans where I prosecuted violent offenders and drug traffickers. I was proud of the work that I did there and I continue to benefit from the education I received in those courtrooms. But the lesson that has stuck with me the most is that, although we’ve been tough on crime, we haven’t been smart on crime. In Louisiana, we’ve somehow ended up with the highest incarceration rate in the world but still struggle with public safety and recidivism. We’ve sent more and more nonviolent offenders to prison while at the same time cutting funding for effective prison alternatives, programs ...
Read MoreWe incarcerate more people per capita than any other state, and yet, we are still suffering from high crime rates.
Read MoreFor years, Louisiana has carried the distinction of having the highest incarceration rate in the world, which unfortunately has not been met with corresponding low crime and recidivism rates. Something isn’t working and it isn’t good for the economy or for our communities. As a former Assistant District Attorney, Rep. Walt Leger passed a resolution establishing the Louisiana Justice Reinvestment Task Force in order to achieve the type of — bipartisan, common sense, taxpayer-saving, public safety outcome-improving — reforms that states like Texas, Georgia, Utah and others have produced over the past several years. On March 16, 2017, the Task Force releases a repot recommending that Louisiana lawmakers adopt a comprehensive set of evidence-based ...
Read MoreVote Yes Constitutional Amendment #5 November 8 For decades, Louisiana has been caught in the same cycle—when times are good, the state spends every dollar generated—and when times are bad, there isn’t enough revenue to pay for all of our obligations. All too often, we’re left with hard choices like cuts to healthcare and education or raising taxes on hardworking families.
Read More