Landry promotes tax plan, public safety and education to Rotary Club of Baton Rouge
Mar 26, 2025
BATON ROUGE — Gov. Jeff Landry told the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge Wednesday that the state is at a "pivotal moment" to shift historic problems with crime, economic development and education.He said the next necessary step is to pass the constitutional amendments on the ballot Saturday.Th
e governor said that experts have been examining state spending to find places where the government can cut spending and joked that he'd adopted a French pronunciation of the federal DOGE group for the state efforts, calling it "do-jay.""We take spending your money seriously in Baton Rouge," he said.The significant tax changes in proposed Amendment Two came from Landy's special legislative session on state tax law. Landry said it will make the state more attractive to businesses from other states and even other countries.In a discussion of public safety, the governor said efforts to make Baton Rouge safer are in the works, citing discussions with area lawmakers and public officials. He said his office received some criticism for starting with New Orleans in the state's efforts to reduce crime, but explained that he knew that if New Orleans was able to be improved, the same tactics would work across the state."We are going to get crime in this city under control," he said.Landry celebrated improvements in education outcomes in Louisiana, including being ranked 32nd in the country in what's known as the Nation's Report Card. Two years before, the state had ranked 43rd on the list of states with the most educational improvement.He also mocked people who object to the law he pushed requiring the placement of a particular version of the Ten Commandments in school classrooms, indicating that he didn't understand why anyone would have a problem with the concepts established by the religious text.Citing conversations with long-retired educators, he said that before the Supreme Court limited the promotion of certain religions in public schools "we respected the natural law.""We will be great again," Landry said.Permalink| Comments ...read more read less
