Greg Larose

Of the cases authorities have been required to report to DFCS since Jan. 1, there were 69 that involved child sex trafficking and nine for child labor trafficking, DCFS Secretary Terri Ricks told the Senate Select Committee on Women and Children.

Calls to Louisiana’s 211 information line from citizens seeking food aid have tripled since the start of February, according to Department of Children and Family Services.

Out of more than 1.48 million SNAP cases over that time, 81.1% were closed for non-financial reasons.