What to know about Louisiana's upcoming legislative session

How it works: This will be a fiscally focused session, meaning lawmakers will deal primarily with money matters, though they have some limited ability to bring other issues up for discussion too.

State of play: Gov. Jeff Landry announced a hiring freeze across all state government departments and agencies this week, a big sign that lawmakers will have to tighten budgets and find more coins under the state's couch cushions.

• It's also not yet clear how the Trump administration's widespread federal cuts will impact the state budget. About half of the state's budget comes from federal funds.

Catch up quick: Landry's freeze also came after voters' landslide rejection of four proposed state amendments at the end of March, including one that would have rewritten large chunks of Louisiana's tax code.

What we're watching: Teacher pay will be a hot issue this session.

• One of the pieces within the rejected Amendment 2 was a cost-savings measure related to how state savings accounts are handled, which would have funded a permanent teacher pay raise.
• For the past two years, state lawmakers have offered temporary $2,000 stipends, but without the yes vote on the amendment, it's not clear whether teachers will see a pay increase this year.