The ban was initially enacted after the administration backed out of a funding deal with the Orleans Parish School Board.

New Orleans officials and other city employees would be permanently barred from using city funds to purchase alcohol while traveling under a new ordinance introduced by City Council Vice President

City Council president JP Morrell expressed his "dismay and extreme concern" Monday about Mayor LaToya Cantrell's trip to attend a conference in Washington, D.C. Why it matters: The trip is the first test of the council's ordinance that temporarily bans non-essential travel for city employees.

Days after the New Orleans City Council passed a law barring Mayor LaToya Cantrell from traveling on taxpayers' dime, Cantrell has traveled to Washington, D.C. for a national mayors' conference.

New Orleans City Councilmembers say they want Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration to explain who paid for her travel to Washington D.C. this week while non-essential city travel is banned. The city council unanimously passed the ban for employees and elected leaders in February after Cantrell’s administration argued the city could not afford a $90 million settlement deal with New Orleans Public Schools.

New Orleans’ Mayor LaToya Cantrell is headed to Washington D.C. for the Yale Mayor’s College Conference. Organized by Yale University officials, the conference provides an immersive learning environment for mayors nationwide.