Ruth’s Chris is about to get busy

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 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.