Support for Louisiana, the state we're in is provided by.

Every day I go to work for Entergy.

I know customers are counting on me.

So Entergy is investing millions of dollars to keep the.

Lights on and installing new technology to prevent outages before they.

Happen.

Together, together, together.

We power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred Bea and Ruth Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum located in Jennings City Hall.

The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is an historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

With support from viewers like you.

This program is made possible in part by Frank's Restaurant, a place known for the gathering of friends, family and colleagues where deals are signed over a handshake and a biscuit.

For information on catering menus and locations, go to Frank's restaurant L.A. dot com.

If you want lower premiums, which we all want, then you have to have competition.

Louisiana's next insurance commissioner shares his solutions for skyrocketing insurance rates.

You have to have community services to provide the kids with what they need so that they can be successful.

The way forward coverage continues with a closer look into public safety.

I think one of the biggest problems that we face in the state is the cronyism and corruption and the pay to play politics that destroyed the reputation of the state.

And a chat about moving the state forward with Republican gubernatorial candidate John Schroeder.

Hi, everyone.

I'm crossing here.

And I'm Karen LeBlanc.

Our show today marks a milestone.

It's the start of our 47th season on air as Louisiana's only statewide newsmagazine.

The program premiered in 1976, making it one of the longest running television programs in the nation.

How exciting is that?

It's been a Friday night routine for generations of Louisianians tuning in to the 7 p.m. broadcast of Louisiana, the state we're in Louisiana.

The state we're in.

When the program first went on the air, it was hosted and produced by Beth Courtney.

With public affairs director Beth George.

Here we still provide viewers with a unique perspective on the happenings in our state.

Our legacy continues covering the news that matters most to Louisiana, such as the state's insurance crisis.

Louisiana residents spend more on auto insurance than any other state in the nation, according to the latest report from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Louisiana's combined average premium is approximately $500 higher than the National average.

To explore solutions to the state's skyrocketing insurance rates, I sat down with Insurance Commissioner elect Tim Temple, who is calling for a special session to deal with Louisiana's insurance crisis when he takes office in January.

First of all, congratulations.

Thank you.

I appreciate quite a big job you're inheriting.

It is.

It is a big job.

I knew this before winning.

And I'm you know, I'm honored and excited to work, you know, with other stakeholders to bring about some you know, some some solutions to the crisis we're all facing.

Well, we here at OPB in our viewers want to get to know you.

So the first obvious question is, why sign up for this job?

Louisiana is in the midst of an insurance crisis on all fronts.

It is.

And, you know, and that's just it.

Look, never say never.

I think if you ask anyone that's been in this industry, that's for more than 20, 30, 40 years, they'll tell you they've never seen the crisis to the level that we have now.

You know, not only are we all having and experiencing a homeowner's crisis, we've been experiencing a personal auto crisis for years.

On top of that, we've had a commercial trucking and commercial auto crisis that the business industry, business world has been dealing with for a decade.

And now we're also on top of that, a commercial property.

I think we need to have a commissioner that understands the complexities of insurance.

So let's talk about your back story.

20 plus years in all areas, just about of the insurance industry.

In a nutshell, help viewers understand the experience that you bring to the job.

Yes.

So, you know, I grew up in the small town of director.

I grew up in this industry.

My father was involved in the insurance industry and I grew up in an insurance group, if you will.

It's in my blood.

It's in my DNA.

And over my 20 plus years, I started off as an insurance agent working in Shreveport.

My family started a company called America Safe, which rights workers comp all over the country now?

Well, it's it's a publicly traded company.

We have no ownership in it anymore.

But so over that 20 years, I was a reinsurance broker For almost ten years, I was part of executive management for one of the largest commercial trucking agents in the country.

I was part of the Gulf Coast Claims Facility.

Ken Feinberg.

BP managed response after the BP oil spill.

You believe hurricanes?

Storms are not the only reason why our property insurance rates are skyrocketing.

What do you believe are the other reasons?

And how are you going to work to solve that and mitigate it?

We just want a fair premium.

And when we have a claim, we want it to be paid quickly and accurately.

So there's a balance that I'll have to bring to that office as the regulator, but also to work with the consumers.

Yes, we had four hurricanes in a 12 month period, 800,000 claims plus unprecedented.

But we also had nine companies that went insolvent.

Nine companies or 12 companies that came in accepted our premium and then went insolvent, either for not having enough money in the bank surplus or not having enough reinsurance.

That's the job of the regulator, is to make sure that those companies that do business here.

So you've got to kind of it's a it's a complex approach, right?

You need to make Louisiana an inviting state for companies to come in, because if you want lower premiums, which we all want, then you have to have competition first and foremost to drive that down.

You can't regulate and you can't mandate rate decrease.

That doesn't work.

But how can we kind of police the approval process of these insurance companies coming in to guarantee that they are solvent, they have enough reserves, they have enough reinsurance.

So that in times of disaster, they're not going to pack up and and leave town.

That that is the job and has been the job of the regulator, the commissioner of insurance.

And if a company is comes in under my watch and goes insolvent, that's my problem.

The current law says that an insurance company can submit a rate change to the commissioner of insurance as long as it's actuarially justified and that it's not discriminatory, The rates not excessive, and it's adequate.

The current administration has a desk rule in place that says you can only change your rates once every 12 months.

That inhibits new companies from coming in.

I'm going to follow the law.

I'm going to let insurance companies follow the law.

And then you and I, as consumers, will determine if if an insurance company, if it's too expensive.

And that sounds like counterintuitive, but that allows more companies to come in and get back to, you know, what I was saying before, you can't regulate and you can't mandate rate change.

You can only encourage a free market and open market system to that.

So let's shift gears, so to speak, no pun intended.

And let's talk about auto insurance.

The practice of setting premium rates to credit ratings.

Where do you stand on that?

Because there's a lot of controversy about that.

We're a poor state.

You know, we are average income is low.

The number of people that are at the poverty level is high.

And so that credit score does impact more people in our state than than an average state, if you will.

We've got to sit down with the insurance companies and help them understand that what they're currently doing probably negatively impacts more people in Louisiana than, again, say, Texas.

So we've got to figure out a path through that.

I'm certainly willing to sit down with all the stakeholders and try and figure out something that's more equitable.

We've made some efforts to reduce the jury threshold, which helps reduce the amount of litigation.

Do you see room for improvement there?

Do you do you want to see an additional lowering of that jury threshold?

You know, I think that was one component of the tort reform that was done back in.

I think it was 20, 2019 or 20.

Let's look at where Louisiana is an outlier.

We were certainly an outlier when we had a $50,000 jury trial threshold.

You know, it was lowered to ten.

You know, I don't think enough time has taken place to see if that has worked through the courts system yet.

So to put a pin in the conversation about auto insurance and property insurance can you distill your top three tangible action steps you're going to take to get a handle on our insurance crisis?

We're going to look at it from a regulatory standpoint.

We're going to look at it from a statutory standpoint.

It's it's not a secret that that I think that we need to have a special session, you know, in a special session not to address homeowners, but to address the funding issues of the insurance crisis in Louisiana to help effect that change.

That is an interesting concept.

How serious are you about calling for a special session to deal with our insurance crisis?

Well, it's not my call to make.

It's the governor and or the legislative leadership, the Senate president and the House speaker.

But I've talked to a lot of gubernatorial candidates, and I've heard several gubernatorial candidates say that they would be in support of a special session.

It's unaffordable.

It's that means it's unaffordable today and it's going to be unaffordable tomorrow.

We've got to fix that urgently.

And I think a special session would help speed up the process of making Louisiana a more attractive state.

According to the Public Affairs Research Council, newly approved premiums by the Department of Insurance will result in increases of as much as 20% or more.

For some drivers, these increased rates will take effect when drivers enroll in new auto insurance policies or when their current auto insurance policies are up for renewal.

When the state ordered a group of teenagers to be temporarily housed at Angola, the decision was highly scrutinized by juvenile justice advocates.

The criticism raised questions about how Louisiana treats youth offenders before and after they leave the system.

In this episode of PBS's exclusive gubernatorial coverage, The Way Forward Election 2023, experts and advocates speculate on evidence based solutions that prevent crime.

This is a video of teenagers escaping the Bridge City Center for Youth, a juvenile facility close to New Orleans.

This is one of more than a dozen escapes from the center in a year.

This was one of two incidents within a 24 hour period that led to the state's decision to relocate the teens.

You see, escapes and violent incidents aren't uncommon at Bridge City.

This is the.

Fourth time in recent memory that we've had to come in here and retake this facility.

Pressure mounted as people push for the state to intervene eventually, Governor John Bel Edwards did.

We will temporarily move some, but not all of those youth to a separate and isolated location at the Louisiana State Penitentiary.

While they are temporarily housed in the separate building at the Louisiana State Penitentiary and thereafter at Jetson.

All juveniles will remain in the custody of old J.J..

They will not have contact with adult inmates and will continue to receive all of the services they currently receive through J.J., including education.

His decision was a controversial one, one that ended in a lawsuit and serious backlash.

But it opened the door to a bigger discussion.

Is Louisiana sentencing an effective public safety strategy for youth and adult offenders?

When you take a young person as our expert Benny Schiraldi said at the first hearing and put them in a building that quote unquote screams prison, you send a message that young person, that this is what they're worth, this is what you will be.

David Utter is a lawyer and the executive director of the Fair Fight Initiative.

He's been working directly with the youth being held at Angola.

He says the case sheds a light on youth incarceration in the state.

So how does Louisiana treat youth offenders?

Well, right now it's incredibly punitive and it is completely counter to what we know works for adolescent development and juvenile delinquency.

Most states are moving away from incarceration as a consequence for juvenile delinquency.

Right now, Louisiana has more than 3000 in custody, which partially explains why teens were moved to Angola in the first place.

Other juvenile facilities were overcapacity or in poor condition.

Right now, that's our reflex.

It's group, our secure carrots, pulling the child out of the community.

What Louisiana needs to do is invest in programs where the consequence is not only the kid from home, but getting the resources to the home, to the community so that kid can succeed.

What do you know about youth offenders?

What usually causes them to commit crimes?

We have really been doing research for over 30 years and have narrowed it down to kind of three of the most common pathways.

One is you have a child who's very rebellious and is acting out and sort of rebelling its authority enjoys not conforming and doing things that break the rules and break the law.

You have a group that has trouble controlling their impulses.

They get angry very quickly.

They act impulsively.

Paul Fricke is a psychology professor at LSU.

He studies criminal activity in teenagers and children.

In his research, he finds that the best way to reduce crime is prevention.

It's very important that we start with what causes it.

Because the way to rehabilitate and the way to structure juvenile justice is through what's considered risk in needs responsivity.

Okay.

And what I'll explain by that is first you have the risk.

And so you decide how much of a risk is this child to the community, because that tells you then where you need to place the child and treat the child.

Then you have to do the need.

But that requires support.

You can't just say we're going to keep you out of the justice system, but go off on your own.

You have to have community services to provide the kids with what they need so that they can be successful.

In the mid 2000 to around 2012, Louisiana was part of the Model for Change program to reduce the number of youth offenders.

They developed risk assessment, expanded the use of evidence based practices, developed a data group and adopted best practice detention standards.

We went from being one of the worst in providing those community mental health programs to juvenile juveniles who were in the justice system to second in the nation in terms of that.

Between 2006 to about 2010.

Juvenile incarceration dropped 40%.

But what has happened is over time, Louisiana hasn't been able to sustain the funding for that type of mental health treatment in the community.

But there could be a way to change these outcomes.

Dr. Steve Procopio with the Public Affairs and Research Council says addressing mental health is a step toward reform.

I guess what are some solutions that cable and power have come up with?

So evidence based really means it sort of put things in two categories.

It's like, is this just rhetoric like or are we just going to lock criminals up forever?

And if you look at the history of what we did in Louisiana, it's what we have done.

We led incarceration rates.

And the issue is, is that did that really make a difference?

And as far as the evidence, we can see, no, it didn't.

Procopio says literacy and mental health are directly linked to incarceration rates.

A candidate's position on literacy and mental health policies give voters important insight into what incarceration could look like.

If you look at reducing some of the core issues, if you're going to eventually let people out and in, we are because that's how the sentencing works, then let's try to spend some of the money that we can free up through putting people on parole, especially nonviolent offenders, on things that will then make them less likely to commit crimes in the first place.

On September 8th, a Louisiana judge ruled that teens housed at Angola had until September 15th to be moved out of the adult facility.

But a temporary hold from a federal appeals court has brought everything to a standstill.

The Public Affairs and Research Council and Counsel for a better Louisiana have additional guidelines you can read about on public safety.

You can find that on their website at reset.

Louisiana dot com.

So did you see any links between what I just covered and things that the candidates have been saying?

Absolutely.

So all of the candidates for Louisiana governor can agree that one of the root causes of crime is our mental health crisis among the youth, and that there needs to be more resources to to fix it.

So.

Right.

And it's definitely a complicated issue and it's affected pretty much everyone nationwide.

Absolutely.

And really all ages, but in particular, the youth.

And John Schroeder, one of the gubernatorial candidates, had a lot to say about fighting crime.

In this week's Coffee with the candidates, I chat with gubernatorial candidate John Schroeder over a cup of coffee at Frank's restaurant about key voter issues from crime to climate change and his plan to move the state forward.

John Schroeder is a Republican running for the Louisiana governor's office.

He's finishing up his second term as the state treasurer.

And prior to that post, he served for nine and a half years in the Louisiana House of Representatives.

He lives in Saint Tammany Parish.

Well, John, thank you so much for joining me here at French Restaurant.

Before we get started, how about a fresh cup of coffee?

Absolutely.

All right.

You probably need it out there on the campaign trail.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay.

So for our viewers, here's how coffee with the candidates go.

Each of our candidates receives the same five questions ahead of time.

Each of our candidates has 7 minutes to answer the five questions.

I will be keeping time.

And I'll also help the candidates stay on track within that seven allotted minutes.

So before we get started, I'll take a sip.

Yeah.

Hot coffee on June three, outside.

Perfect.

All right.

And we're going to press start and question number one.

With Louisiana currently experiencing an insurance crisis as auto property and flood insurance rates continue to rise and some insurance companies quit writing policies here altogether.

How will you address the affordability and accessibility of insurance for Louisianians?

I think right up to bat right out of the gate, we're going to call a special session and we're going to bring two people to the table who who are involved in the industry from from medical to legal to the insurance folks themselves and and and deal with the there's going to be something we get on in the first 30 days.

So if it's the legislators think that they only have to do it one session I got news for them.

It's going to be a it's going to be a whirlwind because we have insurance problems.

We have crime problems with other things, but we're going to deal with it head on.

We're going to jump right out the box.

And we had our commissioner who we who we already know.

Right.

But it's going to take all hands on deck to address it because, look, we're not going to stop storms, Right?

We're not going to stop flooding.

And we can try to mitigate it as much we can.

So we have to we have to get all hands on deck and deal with it.

All right.

With the state's temporary 0.45 sales tax set to expire in May 2025, just declining gas taxes people pay at the pump and other changing circumstances affecting our tax structure.

Some say Louisiana is headed toward a fiscal cliff.

What is your plan to create a sustainable tax base and a competitive tax environment?

Well, look, it all starts with jobs.

Real jobs.

People going to work every day.

I'm not I don't know.

Look, I'm the state treasurer.

I'm not I can't certainly tell you we're going to have a fiscal cliff.

I don't think anybody knows that.

Nobody would have predicted we would have had surplus up to surplus after surplus the last four or five or six years.

So I'm not I'm not going to sit here and tell you we're going to have to deal with a fiscal if we don't know that, you know.

But I will tell you, at the end of the day, we have 4.6 million people who live in this state, 2 million on Medicaid, almost 900,000 on Medicare.

The answer to all ill will is jobs and build our economy.

But but it starts with the people and the jobs you have here right now.

Currently, it's hard to go recruit new business if you don't take care of the business.

You have over 52% of our jobs are small businesses in the state.

So we need to make sure that we're running on all cylinders.

What we have now, before we start going out and recruit new business.

But it's about jobs.

Louisiana has some of the highest incarceration and recidivism rates in the nation.

How are you going to lower crime and improve public safety?

Well, look, mental health is a huge problem in this state and it's been neglected.

That's just it is what it is.

And we have to make it a priority.

And we have to make several things that are priority and mental health.

We're filling up our jails with with people who have mental health problems, and that's not the best place for them to be.

We have to come up with a new and a different model because you just can't stick people who are mentally ill in prisons and expect them to come out here.

It doesn't happen.

So I think we also need to figure out how do we educate those that are in prison so when they get out, they're able to go get a job.

Look, we have a lot of jobs available right now, and you don't necessarily have to have a great education to do that.

You just have to have a skill, something that you can go to work and do every day.

And those skilled jobs are out there.

So we have to be aggressive and try to train the population of people that are in our prisons and better equip them to go out in our society and participate versus being in a life of crime reasons.

Studies show that sea levels are rising faster than we can rebuild the coast, a consequence of climate change.

Renewable energy sources such as wind, water and solar power could help combat climate change.

What is your stance on developing renewable energy sources in Louisiana?

In any industry that's good for the public, I'm for the people of Louisiana.

I support, you know, but I'm a big oil and gas guy.

I don't necessarily agree with your question, but you know what?

If if wind is good for the public, then then I like it, but I don't want to do it at the at the risk or the or or, you know, you kick in oil and gas to the curb.

Half this world doesn't have electricity.

So I think we're a long way from affordability.

But whatever brings affordable energy to the citizens of Louisiana, I'll support that.

Again, statistics show that young people are moving out of Louisiana for better educational and business opportunities and quality of life.

How do you intend to stop this so-called brain drain and make Louisiana more attractive for younger generations?

It's not just a brain drain, it's a people drain.

You know, we've lost a couple, you know, 30,000 people a year over the last couple of years.

So it's not just a brain drain.

It's a it's a people drain.

It's a resource drain because it's not those that are leaving typically are those that have jobs, have families, and they have the means to move.

So they do.

So we have to create an atmosphere or communities that people want to stay and live in Louisiana means we have to lower crime, we have to better educate.

We have to have first class public school systems.

And look, I think one of the biggest problems that we face in the state is a cronyism and corruption and a pay to play politics that that's destroyed the reputation of the state.

You got to have a zero tolerance for it, because if you can't keep people here, how are you going to get people to come?

So you first have to work on what we have.

Same thing when we want to build this economy.

You can't build it on the backs of companies and people who move here.

When you're losing businesses and you're losing people here in our own state very well.

And that is time you finished your five questions in 6 minutes.

23 seconds.

Well done.

Very concise.

All right, John, before we go, one last question.

Biscuits are business.

So that's tough.

Can I say both?

You can say both.

That's your prerogative.

Although I love big days, I'm from New Orleans, but I love me some biscuits too.

So I'm good with both.

All right.

You guys serve a lot.

All right.

I hope you're hungry.

Oh, man, this is awesome.

Absolutely.

That's our show for this week.

And remember, you can watch anything LP any time.

Wherever you are with our LP app.

You can catch LP news and public affairs shows as well as other Louisiana programs you've come to enjoy over the years.

And please like us on Facebook and Instagram.

For everyone at Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

I'm Karen LeBlanc and I'm care here.

Until next time.

That's the state we're in.

This program is made possible in part by Frank's Restaurant, a place known for the gathering of friends, family and colleagues where deals are signed over a handshake and a biscuit.

For information on catering menus and locations, go to Frank's restaurant L.A.

Dot com.

Every day i go to work for entergy.

I know customers are counting on me.

So entergy is investing millions of dollars to keep the.

Lights on and installing new technology to prevent outages before they.

Happen together.

Together.

Together we power life.

Additional support provided by the fred bea and Ruth Ziegler Foundation and the Zeigler Art Museum located in Jennings city Hall.

The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is an historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

With support from viewers like you and.