Where the Rubber Meets the Road
The roadmap is in hand. It’s time to take the wheel.
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The LA23 Strategic Plan:
Where the Rubber Meets the Road
The roadmap is in hand. It’s time to take the wheel.
scroll
south
We’re flagging you down for help
Louisiana is falling behind, rapidly, while our neighboring southern states are speeding past us to prosperity. If we don’t get in gear now, we’ll miss this key window of opportunity to be the Louisiana future generations will want to call home. A Louisiana where economic opportunity is within reach of every citizen, because we’ve finally left the status quo in the dust.
And we can do this by the end of the decade.
Louisiana can be an economic leader in the South by 2030.
We need you to take the wheel and help to steer us toward that destination, starting now.
LA23 is your roadmap to get us there.
the destination:
What does this look like in 2030?
Nine months of surveying employers, experts and stakeholders, coupled with consultant research and analysis yielded a clear picture of what it means for Louisiana to be that economic leader. To reach that destination and improve Louisiana’s competitiveness to allow our economy to truly flourish, leaders must clear the most pressing roadblocks by following the LA23 plan. If we do so, here’s what Louisiana can achieve:
The LA23 Focus Areas
Education & Workforce Development
Focus area goal:
Enhance efforts to find and develop talent by expanding work-ready skills, providing more training for in-demand occupations, and increasing the number of Louisianans in the labor force.
workforce development
goal #1
Enhance efforts to find and develop top talent
01
Establish a cabinet-level Talent Development office in Louisiana, required to be led by an individual with a private sector background, to coordinate all relevant programs and funding.
02
Empower a state-level workforce captain to make state workforce opportunities and dollars work for the constituents they are intended to serve.
03
Continue to demand career-focused accountability for K-12 public schools and state-supported universities by measuring and rewarding performance metrics such as dual enrollment credits, credential attainment, and career exposure for students. Improve work-ready skills.
goal #2
Improve work-ready skills
01
Establish a cabinet-level Talent Development office in Louisiana required to be led by an individual with a private sector background, to coordinate all relevant programs and funding.
02
Empower every community to address its unique workforce needs
03
Ensure that each of the state’s public universities works with area employers to expand paid internship offerings for college students
04
Build a statewide pre-apprenticeship program for high school students using Kentucky’s TRACK as a possible model.
goal #3
Train for in-demand occupations
01
Bring the successful Be Pro Be Proud initiative to Louisiana, to increase career awareness of skilled trades and technical occupations.
01
Create a nation-leading adult upskilling and reskilling program for in-demand occupations in Louisiana, similar to Virginia’s New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Program.
goal #4
Expand the labor force
01
Build a high-quality, statewide initiative to reach every veteran separating from the military in Louisiana, to increase retention of veterans in the state and to connect them with civilian career opportunities.
02
Expand workforce training and reentry support for ex-offenders to join the workforce, with a goal of preparing every individual in state prisons for employment, and a successful return to their communities and the workplace.
03
Attract more out-of-state residents, and especially former Louisiana residents, by targeting talent in Texas, Mississippi, and the Memphis region, focusing the state’s messaging on Louisiana’s enviable cost of living and quality of life.
04
Develop a statewide home ownership initiative to attract young college graduates to remain in or relocate to Louisiana, similar to Ohio’s Grants for Grads program.
Education
Ready to dive in and learn more?
goal #1
Early Childhood Education
All children in Louisiana enter their first day of kindergarten ready to learn, and families have the support they need to participate in the workforce.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Expand and sustain offerings for our youngest Louisianans, birth to age three
- Make childcare more affordable in every community
- Expand access to licensed home-based family childcare
- Ensure the early childhood community has a voice at the governance table
goal #2
K-12 Education
Every Louisiana student can read by third grade, has strong math skills, and every graduate leaves high school with the skills they need to succeed in college, career, and life.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Provide every child a strong academic base – reading by grade 3 and proficient in math.
- Ensure all high school students graduate with industry-valued credentials, a postsecondary- ready diploma, and plan.
- End the teacher workforce shortage.
- Hold all schools accountable to high expectations for all students
- Expand high-quality school choice options.
- Prioritize school safety.
goal #3
Higher Education
Every Louisianan is provided a pathway to postsecondary training or degrees, and a fulfilling career in Louisiana.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Ensure students can access the training they need for a high-quality job in their communities.
- Maximize TOPS’ return on investment by allocating resources in alignment with state workforce needs.
- Create an integrated higher education system aligned with regional workforce needs.
States in the Fast Lane
RESKILLING/UPSKILLING
Virginia — New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Program
Established in 2016 to improve the supply of credentialed workers in key sectors in the state’s economy, this grant program provides a pay-for-performance model for funding noncredit workforce training.
OUTCOMES
- In 2022, program enrollment in ten high-demand fields exceeded 11,500.
- The training course completion rate was 99 percent, and 77 percent of participants obtained a certificate.
- Median annual earnings for those getting a certificate rose by $6,120. The average participant in the New Economy Workforce Credential program was 32 years old.
REENTRY
Indiana — Hoosier Initiative for Re-Entry (HIRE)
This program, run by Indiana’s Department of Corrections, was launched in 2012 and has twice won national workforce awards. The HIRE model prepares felony inmates to enter the workplace, works with businesses to determine the skills and abilities that will make an employee successful in their organization, helps pair inmates with job opportunities, and coordinates with support organizations onclothing, housing, and transportation needs. A HIRE mentor works with each participant for one year after an initial job placement.
OUTCOMES
- In 2021, the HIRE program worked with 369 business partners and placed 1,120 ex-offenders in jobs at an average wage of $14.38.
APPRENTICESHIPS
Kentucky — Tech Ready Apprentices for Careers in Kentucky (TRACK)
Kentucky established the Tech Ready Apprentices for Careers in Kentucky (TRACK) youth apprenticeship program after finding that there were 65,400 high school students in the state with a CTE concentration, but only 4,100 of those had a job. The TRACK program has nine career pathways, provides paid job opportunities, and after high school the student transitions directly into an employer’s Registered Apprenticeship program.
Tax & Business Climate
Focus area goal:
Improve tax policies and the business climate, and position Louisiana in the top tier of states on national rankings.
Ready to dive in and learn more?
goal #1
Improve Tax Policy
Sales & use taxes
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Streamline and centralize state and local sales tax collections and administration.
- Modernize the sales tax code to allow for a broader, uniform base and lower rates.
Income and franchise taxes
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Lower and flatten corporate income tax rates.
- Eliminate the corporate franchise tax.
- Flatten and eventually phase out the personal income tax.
Property taxes
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Streamline the Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP) process.
- Phase out the tax on business inventory.
Severance tax
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Standardize and reduce the severance tax.
Administration
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Create a Comptrollers Division to oversee the functions of the state’s fiscal agencies.
goal #2
Improve Business Climate
01
Accelerate tort reform efforts in Louisiana to reduce legal costs and payouts by insurance companies and other businesses for meritless lawsuits.
02
Require a regular review of every state agency’s regulations in order to eliminate or revise any unnecessary, duplicative or contradictory regulations. Set a goal of a 25 percent reduction in the overall volume of regulations within four years.
03
Continue to invest in infrastructure necessary for economic success, including through increasing and indexing the fuel tax along with fees on electric and hybrid vehicles, and ensuring all available funding for broadband internet access is deployed efficiently and effectively to the areas most in need.
04
Implement comprehensive insurance reform to stabilize the market, attract carriers to enter and remain in Louisiana, and reduce policy premiums.
States in the Fast Lane
REGULATORY REVIEW
Arizona
Every state agency in Arizona is required to review all its rules every five years, to target any that should be repealed or changed. This statute helps Arizona maintain one of the least-complex regulatory codes in the country. Arizona also created an online portal enabling people who live and work under its regulations to make recommendations, and it has exceeded its target to reduce red tape. Over a two-year period, the state removed 1,100 regulations, saving businesses an estimated $79 million. Arizona also claims status as the first state to recognize out-of-state occupational licenses, making it easier for people to move into the state and begin working quickly.
LEGAL CLIMATE
Florida
On the legal front, Florida HB 837 in 2023 was hailed as a historic reform package to end Florida’s reputation as a “Judicial Hellhole.” The Florida Chamber aims to transform the state’s legal climate from the bottom five in America to top 12 by 2030. This legislation reduced the statute of limitations for negligence suits, increased transparency to juries, and instituted a comparative fault standard in injury claims.
Economic Development
Focus area goal:
Improve economic development outcomes through greater alignment, enhanced tools, and more support for innovation and entrepreneurship.
01
Simplify the Louisiana Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP) to reduce the burden and complexity on both companies and local government.
02
Review, and adjust as necessary, the state’s incentive portfolio to ensure that it is flexible enough to encourage potentially transformational investments in research and development, innovation, automation, and talent development for desirable and valued business sectors.
03
Review existing state economic development programs with regional partners across the state to ensure alignment with regional and parish economic development efforts, and adjust as necessary.
04
Expand on regional approaches (such as the Louisiana Competes Program) to improve workforce, buildings and sites, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and marketing through annual competitive grants for collaborative multi-parish efforts.
05
Incentivize public universities in Louisiana to increase the commercialization of innovative technologies by including patent and licensing income results in funding formulas.
States in the Fast Lane
UNIVERSITY COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES
Utah
An outstanding model for tech transfer from research universities is the University of Utah, recently rated by the Milken Institute as the nation’s best university for tech transfer and commercialization.
Utah was also ranked second in the nation for “innovation impact productivity” in a 2020 report by the George W. Bush Institute. The school’s PIVOT Center assists with the commercialization process and evaluates projects to minimize risk.
OUTCOMES
- In 2022 the PIVOT Center reported $22 million in licensing income, 307 patents filed, and 122 patents issued by university-related initiatives.
EVOLVING INCENTIVE PORTFOLIO
Ohio
More than 20 years ago, Ohio Third Frontier was started to provide early-stage investment capital to support technology innovation throughout the state.
OUTCOMES
- To date, Ohio Third Frontier has invested over $2 billion, with funding through voter-approved bond issues.
- During its first 10 years it was credited with supporting 600 businesses, adding 60,000 jobs to the state, and leveraging more than $5 billion in private investment.
Safety & Resiliency
Focus area goal:
Improve safety and resilience by reducing crime while improving health and wellness.
goal #1
Improve safety
01
Increase penalties for and focus more law enforcement resources on violent and habitual offenders. Expand programs to prepare these offenders for productive employment post-release.
02
Increase the transparency, efficiency, and effectiveness of the judiciary in Louisiana.
03
Increase cooperation between law enforcement professionals and mental health professionals and establish a goal to have trained Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) in every parish of Louisiana.
goal #2
Improve health & wellness
01
Promote statewide health and wellness goals as a crucial aspect of a larger economic development agenda.
02
Train, attract and retain more healthcare workers, especially in hard-to-serve areas.
States in the Fast Lane
SENTENCING REFORMS
South Carolina
This 2010 legislation package changed sentencing standards to prioritize prison space for repeat offenders and those convicted of the most serious crimes. It increased penalties for some violent crimes while allowing probation, parole, and good conduct credits for non-trafficking drug offenses. Senate Bill 1154 also strengthened probation and parole supervision and improved the decision-making process for releasing inmates.
OUTCOMES
- Between 2010 and 2015, South Carolina’s crime rate fell by 16 percent, and recidivism among those under supervision fell as well.
- The prison population declined by 16 percent from 2009 to 2016, saving an estimated $491 million.
- Meanwhile, the share of prison space devoted to violent offenders rose by 27 percent.
LEGAL CLIMATE
Arizona
Research in Arizona showed that individuals who violated conditions of their probation accounted for one-third of all prison admissions. Arizona implemented reforms to ensure that judges have better risk and needs assessment reports; to train stakeholders on the use of evidence-based practices; and to focus time and resources on people most likely to reoffend.
OUTCOMES
- Arizona reported a 31 percent decline in people entering prison due to probation revocations over a nine-year period.
- Over that same period, new felony convictions fell by 17 percent.
- Arizona estimates that these results saved taxpayers more than $460 million.