LABI Hosts Jefferson Chamber for “Evening at the Legislature”

March 13, 2026 |By Kelly Hite

METAIRIE, La. – The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI) and the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce hosted an “Evening at the Legislature” event on March 11 at LABI headquarters in Baton Rouge, bringing together Louisiana senators and representatives with Jefferson Parish business leaders to discuss priorities for the current legislative session. Presented by Peoples

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Presented by Peoples Health, an active Jefferson Chamber member since 2006, the event also featured updates from LABI President and CEO Will Green and Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley.

Jefferson Chamber President Ruth Lawson, whose organization represents more than 1,000 businesses across the parish, outlined several legislative issues affecting the region, including tax reform, insurance policy changes and economic development initiatives.

“Representative Hilferty has filed legislation to create the West End Economic Development District and Representative Lyons has filed legislation establishing the Avondale and Waggaman Economic Development District, both aimed at supporting long-term growth and investment in our parish,” Lawson said.

LABI: Business Policy and Economic Competitiveness

LABI Hosts Jefferson Chamber for “Evening at the Legislature”

Introducing Green, Lawson highlighted that LABI is Louisiana’s largest business advocacy organization, representing more than 2,200 business members employing a combined 324,000 workers statewide.

Green said the legislative session is off to a busy start and that he is supporting policy changes aimed at strengthening Louisiana’s economy, attracting major investment and improving quality of life to draw more residents and businesses to the state.

“The first week of the legislative session is always exciting,” Green said. “As Ruth said, there are 1,300 bills and there will probably end up being 1,500 bills filed.”

Reflecting on LABI’s 50th anniversary in 2025, Green said the circumstances that led to the organization’s founding in 1975 remain strikingly similar today.

Despite Louisiana’s abundant natural resources, he said, the state has long struggled to compete economically with neighboring states. In response, the Louisiana State Chamber of Commerce, the Louisiana Manufacturers Association and a statewide education leadership organization merged to form what is now the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry.

Green said many of the same competitive challenges persist today, even though Louisiana has key advantages including energy resources, water access, power availability and available land — factors that large companies often look for when selecting sites for major projects.

A few years ago, he said, Louisiana lagged behind competitors in several areas including tax policy, education outcomes, crime and the cost of insurance. A new administration created an opportunity to push for broader reforms aimed at helping the state compete more effectively with other Southern states.

“We wanted to present them with a comprehensive plan to move the state forward to compete with our southern neighbors like never before,” Green said. “So, we put together our LABI strategic plan, LA Driven.”

Green said LABI has helped advance about 100 legislative measures tied to the plan over the past two years. Among the upcoming issues is a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow parishes to reduce or eliminate the property tax on business inventory — a levy long criticized by business groups but relied on by local governments for revenue.

“On May 16, we’ve got an opportunity to give locals an option to not tax local inventory,” Green said. “We think that’s a tremendous economic opportunity for Louisiana.”

On carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), Green highlighted that the federal government’s decision to grant Louisiana primacy for CCS permits reflects confidence in the state’s ability to implement the technology safely, efficiently and effectively. Green said that while Louisiana is one of the world’s leading producers of LNG and oil and gas, customers are increasingly seeking lower-carbon and carbon-neutral energy products.

“Car dealers say the customer is always right,” Green said of energy companies’ shift toward carbon neutrality. “The customers want it. We’ve got the talent, we’ve the geology, we’ve got the permitting responsibility here and we’ve got the projects to the tune of billions of dollars of projects announced and incoming that we can either accept here or they’ll go to Texas. Texas is begging us to fumble this.”

Education Gains and Reform Efforts

Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley told attendees that the state has made significant gains in student achievement in recent years. Under his leadership, Lawson said, Louisiana reached its highest-ever standing on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as “The Nation’s Report Card,” rising to 32nd in the nation from 49th in 2019.

Appointed in 2020, Brumley is now the 10th longest-serving state education chief in the nation based on tenure among current state superintendents.

“With that longevity has come stability. I think that stability has been good for our state, especially through a number of challenging years,” Brumley said. “It is an honor to see Louisiana be known now as the national leader in education. There is not a state in the country that has moved more rapidly in terms of outcomes for kids.”

The latest results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for the 2024 academic year show Louisiana students making some of the strongest academic gains in the country.

Brumley highlighted several indicators of that progress, noting that Louisiana ranked in the top five nationally for fourth-grade math growth, led the nation in fourth-grade reading growth for a second consecutive testing cycle, and saw students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students outperform national averages in both achievement and growth.

“U.S. News & World Report ranked Louisiana’s Pre-K–12 education system 37th in the nation,” Brumley said. “As a lifetime native of the state of Louisiana, I was conditioned to think we would be last on the list when we needed to be first, but we’re proving that doesn’t have to be true.”

Even with those gains, Brumley said improvements are still needed. He pointed to several initiatives, including BRAVE (Building Reading Achievement and Vocabulary Expertise), the state’s literacy strategy focused on evidence-based reading instruction; Back to the Basics, which emphasizes core classroom fundamentals; and efforts to strengthen foundational math skills and fluency.

Brumley also emphasized what he described as “redesigning broken systems,” referring to efforts to modernize school structures and policies as part of the state’s broader education reform agenda.

As part of that work, he pointed to initiatives aimed at strengthening the state’s teaching workforce.

“We have been able to reduce vacancies by about 60% statewide,” Brumley said. He also highlighted the state’s “Let Teachers Teach” initiative, which focuses on reducing administrative burdens and giving educators more time to focus on classroom instruction.

After remarks from both Green and Brumley, Lawson said the Jefferson Chamber’s “Evening at the Legislature” highlights the value of bringing business leaders and policymakers together during the legislative session.

“This annual event is a great opportunity for our members to connect directly with state leaders and discuss the key issues shaping Louisiana’s future,” Lawson said.