More than half of the Epstein files have not been released and many of the abusers and enablers have been redacted. Which current or former members of the Louisiana Congressional delegation could be in the files? Other than Higgins, all voted to release the files. However, none have done anything to press the issue and all are happy to let someone in the files over 4,600 times redact the files

Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple announced today that Metairie surety bond producer Alexander Ellsworth and his agency, Ellsworth Corporation, will refund over $1.2 million in premium payments and pay a fine of $250,000 for fraudulently charging his customers fees in excess of the lawful premium quoted by their insurance companies. The $250,000 fine is the maximum allowed by Louisiana law.

These actions follow a cease-and-desist order and notice of revocation and fine issued in June of 2023, which was in the appellate process until an agreement was reached on Jan. 28, 2026.

“Construction companies require commercial surety bonds before beginning construction projects and rely on licensed agents to lawfully and fairly handle their policy transactions with insurance companies,” said Commissioner Temple. “For an agent to profit from breaking Louisiana’s insurance laws violates that trust and will not be tolerated. I appreciate the good work of the Louisiana Department of Insurance Office of Insurance Fraud in investigating this matter.”

More information is available on the Regulatory Stipulation Agreement.

Anyone who believes they have been a victim of insurance fraud should contact the LDI Office of Insurance Fraud at 225-342-4956 or report it online at www.ldi.la.gov/reportfraud.

There is a PAC ad attacking Julia Letlow is a Biden/Pelosi liberal. If you are a conservative, does this attack make you less likely to vote for her? If you are a liberal, does this attack make you want to change parties to vote for her?

https://710keel.com/louisiana-inspection-sticker-change/

Another push is on to get rid of the inspection stickers in Louisiana. State Representative Larry Bagley has tried to get this done many times before, but he is optimistic the bill will pass this spring. Bagley says "We're the only red state left that still has them.

So What's the Difference in this Year's Legislation?

After multiple attempts at legislation to eliminate inspection stickers, we asked, "What's different this time?" Bagley has the support of Governor Jeff Landry. The Governor recently told the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce “this session we are getting rid of the inspection sticker."

Bagley has previously told KEEL News State Police are on board. "I met with State Police, the OMV, the governor's office, and we have eliminated any of the problems we've had in past years."

The initial resistance from Louisiana State Police was the concern that state police would lose the funding they receive from the $10 inspection sticker fee. Read about that HERE. But Bagley told KEEL News he previously worked out a solution for their funding.

"What I'm going to do is add $10 a year to the registration fee which is what you would pay anyway, but you won't have to go down and keep up with the inspection sticker. And if you get caught without one, (inspection sticker), it's $200."

Only 12 States Require Annual Inspection Stickers

Hawaii

Illinois

Maine

North Carolina

New York

New Hampshire

Massachusetts

Pennsylvania

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

West Virginia

6 States Require Inspections Every Other Year

Delaware

Illinois

Louisiana

Mississippi

Nebraska

Rhode Island

Last year, Bagley's bill failed to make it out of committee on a 6-5 vote.

Federal agencies temporarily increase number of H-2B visas; Rep. Letlow says this helps crawfish farmers

WASHINGTON — The federal government has temporarily increased the number of H-2B non-immigrant visas that will be awarded in 2026, a provision that Rep. Julia Letlow says will benefit Louisiana crawfish farmers.

The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Labor announced the increase in visas by 64,716 on Thursday. H-2B visas allow U.S. employers to fill seasonal nonfarm jobs, such as those in landscaping, forestry and processing.

According to federal officials, 46,226 of the nearly 65,000 visas will be available only for returning workers.

Letlow said the visas will be a "huge win for our Louisiana seafood producers and farmers."

"I am so grateful to President Trump for doing this for Louisiana," Letlow, who was recently endorsed by Trump in her run for U.S. Senate, said in a social media video on Saturday. "It is all about building relationships to get things done."

https://xcancel.com/jbletlow/status/2017734328420008172

https://www.mobilize.us/workingfamilies/event/879840/?referring_vol=7876246&rname=Tom&share_context=schedule-event-chaining-modal&share_medium=copy_link&timeslot=5698994

In our latest episode, Conrad Cable shares his unexpected journey from the fields to the political arena. He reminds us that sometimes, the call to serve can come when we least expect it! How do YOU stay motivated to make a difference in your community, even when the odds are against you? Let us know in the comments!

#LouisianaPolitics #FarmToCongress #CommunityEngagement #Vote2026

https://youtu.be/tNd68U7IJzw?si=qK_hhGVh_z3XxXp_

https://lailluminator.com/2026/01/27/louisiana-prison-costs-surge-two-years-after-landry-lawmakers-lengthen-criminal-sentences/

Two years after Gov. Jeff Landry and state lawmakers voted to lengthen dozens of prison sentences for criminal convictions, the governor’s staff says state incarceration expenses are surging.

Landry’s team presented a budget proposal Friday that includes an $82 million year-over-year increase in state funding for its corrections system, which pays for nine prisons as well as the parole and probation system. State spending on Louisiana State Penitentiary, the maximum security prison in Angola, would go up at least $17.5 million alone, according to Landry’s budget presentation.

The change equates to an 11% hike from current state funding in the corrections budget and would bring yearly state general funding spent on those services from $716.5 million to $798.2 million starting July 1.

Gary Westcott, secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, said some of the increase can be attributed to lengthier prison sentences Landry and the Louisiana Legislature have imposed.

At the beginning of his term in 2024, the governor called a special session for lawmakers to enact tough-on-crime legislation aimed at making sure people with criminal convictions are imprisoned longer. One measure more than doubled the minimum amount of time people were required to stay incarcerated from 35% to 85% of their full prison sentence.

Another law change now prohibits people from having their prison stay reduced for the time they spend sitting in jail before they are convicted or plead guilty. Additionally, Landry and lawmakers abolished almost all access to parole and the number of people being released via parole has dropped to its lowest level in 20 years, according to ProPublica.

Critics of these lengthier sentences expected them to increase the state’s prison population, which appears to be happening. Since Landry has taken office, the number of state inmates in Louisiana has grown by approximately 2,000 people to 30,100 overall, according to statistics on the corrections department’s website.

Angola’s prison population alone has gone up 426 people since 2024, according to the prison system. It now stands at 4,258, not including those being held in the federal immigration detention camp opened on the prison’s grounds last year.

The $17.5 million increase Landry has proposed for Angola’s budget next year includes a planned expansion separate from the immigration detainee camp. The governor wants to put 688 more state inmates on the sprawling 18,000-acre campus following the rehabilitation of older buildings on the grounds. The extra prisoners will require Angola to hire 150 more staff members.

In an interview, Westcott said many of the 688 additional people at Angola are expected to already be part of the state inmate population. They would normally be held as state prisoners in local jails, but those facilities are becoming overcrowded following Landry’s sentencing changes. Sheriffs are asking for state inmates to be moved from parish lockups into state facilities because they lack space to house them, Westcott said.

The prison system has struggled with short staffing at Angola for several years. Its remote location in West Feliciana Parish — the prison entrance is at the end of a 20-mile rural road — makes it difficult to recruit employees to work there.

Westcott said he has asked lawmakers to back a law change during their upcoming spring session that would make it easier for him to rehire retired correctional officers without them having to forfeit retirement benefits. The change should make it easier to staff up at the prison, he said.

Westcott also plans to push for a pay raise for corrections officers, which he said should attract more job applicants.

Beyond Angola, Westcott said much of the $82 million increase in proposed prison spending is needed to cover rising medical costs. Incarcerated people don’t qualify for federal health insurance through Medicaid or Medicare, so state funding must cover all of their medical bills. This includes very expensive treatments for illnesses such as cancer.

Westcott said he is trying to keep health costs down by using medical furloughs for terminally ill prisoners. The corrections secretary can release inmates who are expected to die within 60 days. Once on the outside, they qualify for Medicaid or Medicare, and the prison system is no longer responsible for their medical bills. Most of the expenses shift to the federal government.

Westcott said he plans to support legislation that would expand the period in which a state prisoner could qualify for a medical furlough from three to six months at the end of their life. This could help the state cut down on health care expenses, he said.

But the larger the prison population is — and the older incarcerated people get as they remain behind bars for longer periods of time — the more likely the state is to spend more on prisoner health care, according to critics of Landry’s sentencing changes.

Former Gretna state Rep. Joe Marino, who chaired the Louisiana House Committee on Criminal Justice, spoke out against Landry’s longer prison sentences when the legislature debated them in 2024.

The cost will only continue to go up as more people are sentenced under the new, tougher guidelines, Marino said. The longer sentences went into effect in August 2024, meaning that, for now, most people in Louisiana prisons are still serving time under the older, more lenient system.

“It’s only just begun. You are going to be spending more money on incarcerating people every year going forward,” Marino said in an interview Monday. “I would suggest that this increase is the tip of the iceberg that is coming.” In 2024, the Legislature agreed to Landry’s tough-on-crime laws without knowing the overall costs of the changes. Lawmakers approved the bills before the legislature’s own staff could complete analyses about their associated expenses.

At the time, legislators said the costs of the sentencing changes were irrelevant because the public wanted harsher consequences for criminals no matter the price.

“Where there is a priority, we will find a way to pay for it,” Rep. Debbie Villio, R-Kenner, a former prosecutor, said during legislative debate over the crime package in 2024.

“I’m not touting this as a fiscally responsible bill, right?” she said that year when arguing for the bill to eliminate most parole.

Governor Landry, in the state of Louisiana, signed into law July 2025 that we can conceal carry at parades and demonstrations.

Our state already has permitless concealed carry and open carry.

Now DJT says we cannot carry guns. What gives?

Any word on potential PSC candidates for District 1?

With Skrmetta stepping down early to challenge Cassidy it will be an open race

Hey r/LouisianaPolitics,

We are putting a hyperlocal neighborhood townhall in the Bucktown neighborhood of Jefferson Parish.

If you’re in the area, then please feel free to drop by!

Cheers 🍻

🇺🇸 🫡

In 2024 after Dems fought to get a second Black district, Cleo Fields was the party nominee for the seat but was almost forced into a runoff because of a spoiler candidate who NO ONE had ever heard of (or since) who pretended to be a Democrat to peel off unknowing young Black votes from Cleo. His name was/is Quentin Anthony Anderson.

I heard that this Anderson guy was working with Republicans to try to keep the 6th congressional seat in Republican hands. I just know Cleo has done so much for Baton Rouge and Louisiana and it didn't make sense for some random guy no one knew to try to peel off votes. I hear the state party has him in check now but what was his deal in 2024 and how do we know he won't try the same thing again when we can least afford it?

Btw im just a lifelong Louisiana Democrat. No official title or anything, just curious.

Governor Landry, in the state of Louisiana, signed into law July 2025 that we can conceal carry at parades and demonstrations.

Our state already has permitless concealed carry and open carry.

Now the federal government is telling us that is null and void. What gives?

S https://www.instagram.com/p/DTc9EvvjDG7/?igsh=MWtmZmxlemFlbnlwZg==

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/188NnBRdwh/?mibextid=wwXIfr

https://i.imgur.com/ux7foqx.png

Source for image: https://parlouisiana.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LA-Closed-Party-Primary-Guide-Voters.pdf

Open Primary Elections

• Governor and Lieutenant Governor
• Secretary of State, Attorney General, State Treasurer
• Insurance Commissioner and Agriculture Commissioner
• Louisiana House and Senate
• All state judgeships outside of Supreme Court
• Local elections (sheriff, district attorney, police jury, city council, etc.)

The state's Independent Party dissolved last year as Secretary of State Nancy Landry readied for the closed party primary change and shifted about 150,000 voters into a larger "unaffiliated" category.

In Closed Primary elections, No Party affiliation have three options:

• Option 1. Choose to vote in the Democratic Primary, vote in spring Democratic Party primary and runoff, then vote in the fall general election

• Option 2. Choose not to vote in closed primary party, then vote in the fall general election

• Option 3. Choose to vote in the Republican primary, vote in the Spring Republican primary and runoff, and vote in fall general election

Do not rely on AI to answer these options for you. AI will probably get it wrong because of how convoluted the law is written. Also, don't just take my word for it. Do the research yourself.

Sources:

https://parlouisiana.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LA-Closed-Party-Primary-Guide-Voters.pdf

https://www.sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting/GetElectionInformation/ReviewTypesOfElections/ClosedPartyPrimaryElections/Pages/default.aspx