Clean elections. Clean water. Clean cannabis. Louisiana Progress to support policies in the 2021 legislative session that will benefit all Louisianans, with a focus on voting access, ensuring that everyone has clean water, and ending cannabis prohibition.  

NEW ORLEANS, LA | April 19, 2021—With the 2021 Regular Legislative Session already underway, Louisiana Progress is proud to announce our legislative agenda: “Clean elections. Clean water. Clean cannabis.” 

“These three issues are crucial to building a better Louisiana,” said Peter Robins-Brown, policy & advocacy director at Louisiana Progress. “They would improve transparency and trust between the people and the government, make our state a more desirable place to live, and create jobs and tax revenue.” 

1. Clean elections: There are dozens of election and voting related bills this year, and many of them are designed to make it harder for people to vote. We will join our partner organizations in fighting for free and fair voting access, while also advocating for government transparency.

2. Clean water: HB 481, by Rep. Matthew Willard, would require Public Water Systems to test for iron in their drinking water supply. Iron is an indicator of lead, corrosion, and water-borne pathogen problems, and Public Water Systems don’t currently test for it. The information we learn from these tests will also help state and local authorities apply for and efficiently distribute federal funding for water infrastructure improvement.

3. Clean cannabis: Ending cannabis prohibition is a necessary racial and economic equity and justice issue, since people of color and low-income earners are far more likely to be criminalized in the current system. And it would also be good for our economy, creating thousands of jobs in Louisiana and bringing in approximately $100 million per year in tax revenue. 

We are working with Rep. Candace Newell to support her HB 637, which would end prohibition, as well as her HB 243, which would decriminalize cannabis. HB 524, by Rep. Richard Nelson, is another legalization measure, while HB 652, by Rep. Cedric Glover, would largely decriminalize cannabis possession. HR 1, by Rep. Marcus Bryant, requests a study of the impact of ending prohibition.

Along with these priorities, we will be monitoring hundreds of bills across several issue areas, including:

• Raising the minimum wage

• Reforming the user-pay criminal justice system 

• Title IX reform in higher education

• Equitable tax policy

• Fighting anti-Trans legislation

Louisiana Progress is a resource for research, policy, and advocacy. Visit our website to learn more and to sign up for our MONDAY MATTERS email, where every Monday we deliver a review of the past week at the legislature and a preview of the week to come.

Who: Louisiana Progress

What: Louisiana Progress announces its 2021 legislative session agenda

When: April 19, 2021

Contact: 

Peter Robins-Brown, Policy & Advocacy Director, Louisiana Progress, (504) 256-8196, peter@louisianaprogress.org