C100 outlined our positions on a wide variety of policy issues in a framework called RESET Louisiana with our partners, the Council for a Better Louisiana (CABL) and PAR Louisiana (PAR). We look to our members for direct engagement to provide outreach on these issues on key pieces of legislation where we support the issue and it needs more help to get through the legislative process, or engagement with key agencies, public boards like BESE, or the executive branch.

Five years ago, we knew we were going to have a large turnover in the legislature due to term limits. New people with a lot to learn about some big issues, so we started thinking about what we could do to help them, not just after they got elected, but while they were still running for office. We thought that if three like-minded, nonpartisan groups with long histories in Louisiana came together we could make a difference. C100 joined with CABL and PAR to create an initiative called RESET Louisiana’s Future. It was a nonpartisan effort to educate candidates and the public about important issues.

We chose four issues: education, state finances, infrastructure, and public safety. We harnessed the experience and expertise of all our organizations, did research, dug up data and produced easy-to-understand policy briefings that we could share with candidates and offer to everyone on our website—RESET-Louisiana.com. 

Why did we pick these four issues? Because if we address these issues, we know we can make progress for Louisiana. The tax structure needs to be fixed – we’re not competitive. Education is one of the keys to economic development, better jobs, addressing social concerns, and making Louisiana more prosperous. That’s especially true of early childhood, but we also need to improve the education and skills of our adult workforce. With infrastructure we know our roads are bad and we need to fund major projects. But we need a plan to ensure we will have the revenues to do it. And we all know public safety is an issue we need to address. 

When RESET launched in 2019, we met with more than 100 candidates for the legislature and all the candidates for governor in briefings in every part of the state. We also travelled to every region of Louisiana and gave more than 20 speeches at chambers and civic clubs. And the results? We made a difference, and over the last four years we had some major wins. 

Fast forward to RESET 2023. We produced a 40-page policy booklet that has charts and graphs and good information, that is also easy to understand. And we made 55 recommendations from broad, to specific, to bold. 

We have demonstrated we can make progress, but we need to keep at it.