Louisiana legislators ready to tackle insurance crisis during legislative session

Lawmakers in Louisiana have pre-filed nearly 900 bills for the new legislative session, with a focus on lowering auto insurance rates, health, and restructuring the Department of Transportation and Development.
Louisiana's regular legislative session begins Monday.
The first key priority is lowering auto insurance rates. Forbes reports that Louisiana drivers pay an average of $3,718 annually for auto insurance, which is 75% higher than the national average and triple what drivers pay in Vermont, the lowest-cost state.
Before the session started, there had already been some drama between the governor and the insurance commissioner.
Another focus is on health. There is a sweeping nutrition bill that would ban the purchase of soft drinks using federal food aid payments and prohibit the use of ultra-processed ingredients in public schools.
Additionally, there is a high-profile element in the recently failed Amendment 2, which was a plan to permanently increase salaries of teachers by $2,000. This comes as the state is expecting a nearly $200 million shortfall for funding.
There is also an effort on both sides to restructure the Department of Transportation and Development, with the focus on speeding up project timelines.
This legislative session comes as there have been dramatic federal funding cuts and fears that Congress will slash Medicaid spending.
The session begins at noon and must end no later than 6 p.m. June 3.