— LANDRY CALLS FOR CITIZENSHIP REMINDER: Gov. Jeff Landry issued an executive order Monday calling for state agencies that assist with voter registration to inform people seeking public assistance that it is illegal for noncitizens to register or to vote. Under the same order, the Office of Motor Vehicles is to provide to the Secretary of State Nancy Landry’s office a list of nonpermanent residents and noncitizens who hold a Louisiana license or identification card. National Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson, have called for “election integrity” legislation to keep noncitizens from voting, even though noncitizens already are not allowed to vote in federal elections. At the state level, this year’s SB 436 by Sen. Mike Fesi allows the Secretary of State to require proof of United States citizenship when people register to vote and gives the office broad authority to decide what proof is necessary. 

— BOURGEOIS SAYS LED, CRT MESSAGES NOT ALIGNED: Louisiana Economic Development and the state’s tourism arm are the only two state agencies with significant marketing budgets, but the latter’s messaging inadvertently undermines LED’s, Secretary Susan Bourgeois told the Baton Rouge Press Club on Monday. The laissez les bons temps rouler attitude Louisiana sells to visitors makes it harder to take the state seriously as a place to build a business, she said. While LED and the lieutenant governor’s office (which oversees tourism) have different audiences, Bourgeois said she and Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser have talked about making sure their messages are aligned to some extent. As part of her mission to “change the narrative” about the state, LED this weekend will unveil at the LSU-USC football game in Las Vegas a “Come Home Louisiana” campaign aimed at connecting mid-level professionals who have left Louisiana with career opportunities in the state. It’s the mid-level talent, not so much the C-suite folks, that many companies are struggling to hire, she said. 

— STATE OFFICE OVERDRAWS FEDERAL FUNDS: The state Office of Public Health drew $855,606 in excess federal funds above the allowed budget for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund’s base loan allocation for the applicable award year, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor reports. OPH did not ensure payroll expenditures were approved for the DWRLF program. The Louisiana Department of Health is working to correct the issues that cause the problems, officials said. 

— THE WEEK AHEAD: House Appropriations is set to meet at 9 a.m. Friday to discuss the operating budget of the Louisiana Department of Health. Gov. Jeff Landry has instructed all state agencies to look for savings in anticipation of a budget shortfall next year; LDH officials did not respond to LaPolitics’ questions about what that might look like for their department. The Water Sector Commission is scheduled to meet Friday at 8 a.m.; the agenda includes potential deadline extensions and requests for additional funding. The Board of Regents plans to meet Wednesday at the Claiborne Building; committee meetings are scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. The Board of Commerce and Industry has a meeting planned for Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. in the LaSalle Building; see the agenda here.

— EX-KENNEDY STAFFER RECALLS ROLE: Most people think of Capitol Hill when they hear “congressional staffer,” but being state-based meant providing “boots on the ground,” Leah Long, a former staffer for U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, explains in an exclusive column for tomorrow’s edition of Beltway Beat. Long is the state director for Louisiana and Mississippi with the National Federation of Independent Business.