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# Ruth’s Chris is about to get busy
- URL: https://www.redeyebr.com/la-session-2026/
- Published: 2026-03-09T12:48:06.000Z
- Updated: 2026-03-09T21:56:09.000Z
- Description: Lawmakers say they wan to give residents reasons to stay in Louisiana
- Author: JR Ball
- Tags: News, Analysis

The gavel comes down at noon today at the State Capitol. The regular legislative session runs through June 1—84 days to tackle a list of issues that will impact Baton Rouge-area residents.

**Stop the brain drain:** Lawmakers say they're[ tired of watching people leave Louisiana](https://www.wbrz.com/news/louisiana-lawmakers-look-ahead-to-legislative-session-starting-next-monday?ref=redeyebr.com) for opportunities elsewhere. This session is about giving them reasons to stay. Here's their strategy:

- **Roads first:** House Speaker Phillip DeVillier's top priority is clearing the backlog of road and bridge projects that have piled up across the state.
- **‘Vouching’ for education:** Gov. Jeff Landry wants to double LA GATOR school voucher spending to $88 million. Senate President Cameron Henry isn't on board yet—saying there isn't enough data to justify it, adding, "Doubling a program every year is going to be a problem."
- **Jobs and workforce:** Bipartisan support is building for apprenticeships, trade education and career pipelines—aimed at keeping Louisiana graduates from taking their skills to other states. **A caveat:** These measures don’t address creating the diverse jobs many college grads are leaving Louisiana to pursue.
- **The big wildcard—carbon capture:** CO2 pipelines are already proposed through Ascension, Livingston and Tangipahoa Parishes. Bills to strip eminent domain and give parishes local veto power are the session's most contentious early battle.
- **Also on the docket:** workers' comp overhaul, insurance reform, broadband expansion, and tort law changes.

**The bottom line:** Whether it's CO2 pipelines inching closer to East Baton Rouge Parish, voucher dollars shifting away from public schools *(long odds at the moment)*, or road funding that could bring some repair to our crumbling roadways and bridges, what happens in the Legislature over the next 84 days will impact Capital Region residents and businesses. **Watch the carbon capture fight most closely**—it's the one most likely to produce a surprise.

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