BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming highlighted several transparency and fraud prevention initiatives undertaken by the Department of the Treasury, citing efforts to improve oversight of public spending, modernize financial processes and recover taxpayer funds.
The announcement follows a U.S. Department of Justice event highlighting new federal and state partnerships aimed at combating fraud across the Southeast.
Among the initiatives, the Treasury Department pointed to its Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) Transparency Portal, a digital system that replaced paper-based and email-driven processes for agreements tied to legislative appropriations. According to the department, the portal increased processing speed by 68% and the number of payments distributed by 38% while providing greater public access to documents and communications.
Fleming also highlighted the department’s K-12 School Transparency Project, launched in 2025 to provide public access to financial information for Louisiana public and charter schools. The online database includes more than 2 million data points covering expenditures, contracts and vendor payments.
Treasury officials said the project identified spending on staff retreats, restaurants, lobbying services and consulting contracts that prompted additional review. The department said its investigation into the Noble Minds Institute for Whole Child Learning contributed to a subsequent Louisiana Legislative Auditor investigation that identified approximately $606,000 in questionable expenditures.
The department also reported results from the Main Street Recovery Program, which distributed approximately $275 million to about 20,000 Louisiana small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Treasury officials said the program recorded a fraud rate of 1.32%, below the national average reported for similar programs, and that recovery efforts with the Louisiana Office of Inspector General have returned more than $1.3 million obtained through fraudulent claims or attempted fraud.
In addition, Fleming noted that he urged Louisiana’s state retirement systems in 2025 to reconsider investments in Chinese stocks and bonds, which the department said totaled more than $1 billion across the state’s retirement systems.
The treasurer also reiterated concerns regarding financing arrangements involving Sustainability Partners LP. Fleming said the company’s transactions involving public infrastructure projects lacked appropriate oversight by the State Bond Commission. He noted that Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office announced indictments in October 2025 involving company executives and public officials following an investigation by the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation.
The Treasury Department also highlighted its unclaimed property program, reporting that more than $70.9 million was returned to current and former Louisiana residents during the last fiscal year, the highest annual total in the program’s history. The department said more than $1.2 billion in unclaimed property remains available to eligible owners.