Gov. Jeff Landry makes a State of the State address during a luncheon held by the Bossier Chamber of Commerce at the Bossier City Civic Center in Bossier City, La., Tuesday, Aug.
20, 2024. Gov. Jeff Landry makes a State of the State address during a luncheon held by the Bossier Chamber of Commerce at the Bossier City Civic Center in Bossier City, La.
, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. Gov.
Jeff Landry makes a State of the State address during a luncheon held by the Bossier Chamber of Commerce at the Bossier City Civic Center in Bossier City, La., Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024.
Gov. Jeff Landry speaks with Bossier City Mayor Tommy Chandler during a luncheon held by the Bossier Chamber of Commerce at the Bossier City Civic Center in Bossier City, La., Tuesday, Aug.
20, 2024. believes, under his leadership, north and central Louisiana have great opportunities ahead. In a "state of the state" address during a luncheon hosted by the Bossier Chamber of Commerce Tuesday, Landry reviewed the early accomplishments of his administration and predicted further successes ahead, though some may require sacrifices.
It was the governor's first official since taking office earlier this year, and while acknowledging critics have said his administration is on many policies and plans, he said there's at least one place in Bossier that should be able to relate. "Y'all have a horse track here," Landry said. "Y'all ever seen a horse in last place get to first place by going slow?" Landry began his governorship in January after winning his bid in a crowded field of candidates .
He took office with a bevvy of promises to reform education and criminal justice statewide, to reshape tax codes and his own departments, and, with the help of legislators and a special session of the state legislature, already can point to many victories, though some have been controversial. Landry told those assembled at the Bossier City Municipal Complex Tuesday to expect more. "I want you to know where we're headed.
We're going to still be working on education, and we're going to still continue to work on crime, and we are going to focus — like a laser focus — on the economy," Landry said. "North and central Louisiana has the greatest of the opportunities, I mean it. And, for once and for all, we're going to have a governor that's going to absolutely deliver it in a way that is going to be generational changing.
" Accomplishing that vision, the governor said, will mean changing how Louisiana's collects its taxes. Louisianans should expect efforts to make those changes soon, he said. "We're going to have to deal with our tax code, the way we raise revenue, the way that Louisiana operates its business when it comes to taxes.
And we're going to have to do it, most likely, sooner rather than later," Landry said. Landry blamed "100 years of layers of special interests inside our tax codes" for a number of legacy Louisiana problems. He asked attendees to be willing to sacrifice their own way of benefiting from those special interests in pursuit of an improved system.
The governor began his speech by going over the successes his administration, so far, is claiming, including having sent to patrol the Mexican border. He acknowledged recent wins for the Shreveport-Bossier area, including the arrival of , the recent in Shreveport and the ongoing early phases of reconstructing the Jimmie Davis Bridge, a project for which he would attend a groundbreaking ceremony later Tuesday. Landry touted the restructuring of the Louisiana Department of Economic Development; universal recognition of occupational licenses; and requiring government offices to accept cash payments as accomplishments for the state since his inauguration.
He promoted the new law requiring Louisiana classrooms to , a controversial move over which parents have sued the state and a judge temporarily delayed the law's implementation. Landry said the Biblical laws represent a good moral code, and he again said he'd tell parents who don't want their children exposed to the commandments in their classrooms "don't look at the document," but said he'd also add "if your child's not looking at that document, we're going to show him the criminal code." Gov.
Jeff Landry makes a State of the State address during a luncheon held by the Bossier Chamber of Commerce at the Bossier City Civic Center in Bossier City, La., Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024.
In coming months, Landry promised, Louisianans will continue to see their government reformed. Landry said he believed legislative work already accomplished during his administration will "pave the way for us to get our hands around our juvenile crime problem in a way that's compassionate but stern and disciplined." He said he plans to reorganize the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources and the operations of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.
Landry said he'll continue to push forward reforms to Louisiana's troubled schools. "We are going to make sure our teachers in this state are happy and are not forced to be social workers. If we need social workers in schools, we're going to get them in there.
But our teachers are going to be teachers," Landry said. Landry said the pace of his administration since his inauguration was intentional, a response to the message he believes was sent through his early electoral victory. "Getting into this job, I knew that the only person that likes change is a baby with a wet diaper.
When we got inaugurated, we realized — and I made the legislature realize — that you all expected a lot of us," Landry said. "And so we have done a lot.".
