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I work in manufacturing here in Louisiana, and we've seen this movie before. In 1990, America made 40 percent of the world's semiconductors. Today it's 12 percent. We let that slip away the same way we let solar panel and battery production slip away — by assuming free markets would sort it out, while China's state-directed economy simply took the ground we gave up. Now Congress has a chance to not repeat that mistake with AI chips, and some in Washington want to weaken expor

A new batch of Louisiana laws took effect August 1, and several of them carry real consequences for how businesses across the state operate day to day. For owners and managers who haven't had a chance to read through this year's legislative output, here's what actually changes starting this month. The most immediate shift for retailers is the new ban on debit card surcharges. Under Act 751, businesses can no longer charge customers an extra fee simply for choosing to pay with

Governor Jeff Landry spent part of last week in Washington making the case that Louisiana isn't just riding the AI and data center boom, it's helping write the rules for how the rest of the country pays for it. Landry and Richland Parish Schools Superintendent Sheldon Jones joined President Trump at a White House roundtable focused on the administration's ratepayer protection plan, and Louisiana walked away with one of the clearest wins in the room. The plan itself is straigh

While the biggest headlines out of Louisiana's economic development office tend to go to the multibillion-dollar mega-projects, some of the most reliable growth in this state comes from a quieter pattern: companies that are already here choosing to expand rather than look elsewhere. That's exactly what's happening in Acadiana, where Quality Companies LLC is investing more than $7 million across two sites in Iberia and Lafayette parishes. The Youngsville-based energy services

Louisiana's significant energy potential, encompassing oil, gas, and carbon capture, is being systematically undermined by a heavily funded, out-of-state campaign. A Pelican Institute report details over $115 million flowed to local environmental groups from 2020-2025, with over 70% originating from California, D.C., and New York, backed by billionaires like Bloomberg and Bezos. This "lawfare" manifests through challenges to carbon sequestration primacy, legal assaults on LNG

Louisiana just closed the door on one of the biggest legal threats facing its energy industry, and business owners across the state should be paying attention, because the protection doesn't stop at the oil patch. Governor Jeff Landry signed House Bill 804, the Louisiana Energy Protection Act, into law in June, capping off one of the session's signature business wins. The law bars civil lawsuits filed in Louisiana state courts that seek personal injury, property, or economic

Louisiana just found an extra $50 million for one of the few insurance fixes that has actually shown results, and it did it without raising a single tax or fee. Governor Jeff Landry signed House Bill 1187, sponsored by Rep. Paul Sawyer, R-Baton Rouge, in late May, directing $50 million in surplus funds from Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation into the state's Fortify Homes Program. The money comes from an unusual source: excess funds Citizens collected through a

Louisiana's economic development strategy of the past eighteen months has often been discussed in silos. Data center announcements in Richland Parish. AI facility decisions in Rapides. Advanced manufacturing commitments in Northeast Louisiana. Each celebrated separately, each impressive on its own. But they're not really separate at all. They're pieces of something larger: a deliberate diversification away from energy-dependent extraction and toward technology-forward product

Governor Jeff Landry stood at England Airpark on Tuesday and made an announcement that Central Louisiana's economic development community has been waiting years to hear. Applied Digital Corporation — a Dallas-based company that designs, builds, and operates data centers for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing — will develop Delta Forge 1, a $3.6 billion AI factory campus in Rapides Parish. It is the largest economic development project in the region's moder

Louisiana's tax reform story over the last two years is one worth telling. The 2024 special session produced genuine, structural change: a flat 3% individual income tax, a reduced corporate rate of 5.5%, the elimination of the corporate franchise tax, and permanent full expensing — making Louisiana one of only three states in the country to fully decouple from federal phasedown rules on business investment. The Tax Foundation took notice. Louisiana jumped six spots in its Sta

Louisiana families know what it feels like to stretch a budget. They know what it costs to fill a prescription. And most of them have no idea that a significant reason American drug prices are so high is that wealthy foreign governments — our own allies — have spent decades rigging the system to avoid paying their fair share. That imbalance is now squarely in the crosshairs of the Trump administration, and Louisiana has every reason to pay close attention. A recent analysis f

By Sean Corkery One of the first things I did when I turned 18 was open a brokerage account and buy my first stock. The rules were clear, the broker had to be registered with FINRA, material risks had to be disclosed in the prospectus, and fraud carried real legal consequences. These aren't bureaucratic hurdles, they are the bedrock of a system that made American capital markets the deepest and most trusted in the world. Now Congress is considering legislation that would exem