[StBernard] A Legislative Update from Bobby...

[Westley Annis]

Dear Friends: 

We have worked hard this year to provide relief to the victims of Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita.  The following are a few examples of legislation that may
benefit you and your family as we work together to rebuild our lives, our
communities, and our state. 


Levees 

Louisiana's levees must be rebuilt higher, stronger, and more secure, so
families can have the security and confidence to move back and rebuild.
This will be expensive, but Congress has approved $2.9 billion to start the
work immediately. 

The money is enough to start building the strongest, most secure levees ever
built in Southeast Louisiana.  This is still not enough, however.  I will
continue to push for Category 5 protection and coastal restoration.  On
three separate occasions I have worked to pass legislation in the House and
its committees that would let Louisiana keep a portion of the revenue
generated from drilling off its shore, only to have those efforts blocked,
primarily by opposition from a handful of Senators, before they could be
enacted.  Under these revenue sharing proposals, Louisiana would keep some
of the $5 billion to $8 billion the federal government makes from offshore
drilling in Louisiana, creating a steady stream of funding that can be used
to create true Category 5 flood protection. 

I have been assured that my proposal for revenue sharing will receive a new
vote at the start of the new year.  However, in the meantime, the House has
voted to allow Louisiana to receive up to another $7 billion to be used on
levees, the initial stages of coastal restoration, and evacuation routes.
We are pushing hard to get the U.S. Senate to support this money as well. 

But to make sure this money is spent wisely, I am also working to streamline
the current inefficient system of multiple levee boards.  The state will get
an extra $12 million to study and design Category 5 levee protection if it
consolidates the levee boards in Southeast Louisiana into one unified levee
board. 

Red Tape 

For years, Louisianans have received Disaster Mitigation Grants from FEMA to
rebuild and improve their homes so they are not victimized by Mother Nature
again.  Thousands more will receive money from FEMA for that purpose in the
wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  Now Louisianians will not have to pay
taxes on these grants thanks to a law I forced through Congress earlier this
year making those grants tax-free.  Before this legislation, many Louisiana
families were in danger of having to sell their homes to cover the new tax
bills; one family was even going to lose their disabled son's Pell grant as
a result of the FEMA grants moving them into a higher tax bracket.  Now,
Louisianans who receive FEMA mitigation grants can rebuild without fear of
the tax collector threatening them with massive bills. 

Faith-based organizations are a critical part of our communities, providing
support and relief to countless victims after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
I introduced legislation, even before the hurricanes struck, to make sure
that faith-based organizations are able to receive federal support for
rebuilding.  Disasters do not discriminate based on faith, neither should
the federal government. 

More than 144,000 pages of federal regulations hampered relief work and now
they threaten to strangle the rebuilding effort.  I think we should quickly
eliminate any regulation that impedes the region's recovery.  That is why I
have introduced legislation to create a Presidential Commission that would
examine all regulations impacting the recovery and temporally suspend
unnecessary red tape.  Paperwork should not be more important than people. 

Many in Louisiana have experienced firsthand the difficulty in sifting
through bureaucracy and red tape as they work to rebuild following these
storms.  In particular, the constantly changing rules regarding the federal
government's role in paying for debris removal continued to frustrate
parishes and cities, making it difficult for local governments to
effectively clean up and start the rebuilding process. We worked with the
White House to have the federal government pay for all clean up through June
30, 2006, freeing local communities to spend their resources on helping
their citizens. 

Education 

More than 300,000 school children have been uprooted by Hurricanes Katrina
and Rita.  Schools across the country have generously opened their doors and
taken in these children. In order to help, I authored legislation that
provides more than $1.6 billion to assist kids displaced by Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita and the schools that opened their doors to students from
hurricane devastated areas.  Public, private, and charter schools across the
country that take in students will receive $6,000 per student to help pay
the additional costs.  In addition, local schools will receive $750 million
to help rebuild and reopen. 

College students across Louisiana, and the schools they attend, have been
devastated by the storms of the past year.  Congress provided $200 million
in operational assistance for colleges and universities affected by the
hurricanes. As a former head of the University of Louisiana System, I know
that a quality education is of the greatest importance in order for our kids
to find good jobs.  I also know it would be unfair for students to lose
their financial aid or otherwise be penalized due to their studies being
interrupted by the hurricanes.  I introduced two additional bills to help
college students, either directly or through their universities, making sure
they still have the support to continue their studies.  Both bills have now
been signed into law. 


Tax Relief 

Rebuilding the economy, and ensuring that individuals have enough money to
cover the new expenses and burdens the storms have caused, has been one of
my primary concerns.  To this end, Congress passed $9 billion in tax support
and incentives to help families and create jobs in the Gulf Coast region by
creating the "GO Zone."  Also, disaster victims can now re-file their 2004
tax returns to receive an immediate refund for casualty losses suffered in
the hurricane. Disaster victims can withdraw $100,000 from their IRAs and
pensions without paying the 10-percent penalty.  Businesses in the disaster
can receive an additional tax credit by hiring individuals who lived in the
disaster area prior to the hurricane, which helps businesses restaff and
puts people back to work. 

As Louisiana rebuilds, it cannot simply rely on a government-run effort.
The private sector is going to have to be an active partner.  Congress has
also worked to help businesses recover by expanding equipment expensing and
bringing increased community investment in the form of New Markets Tax
Credits.  With the passage of the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act, the tax
deduction for business purchases doubles to $200,000.  The Act also provides
$1 billion in New Markets Tax Credits to help businesses invest in new
infrastructure throughout the surrounding community.  

In addition to these provisions, 50-percent bonus depreciation will help
businesses rebuild, expanded operating loss carrybacks will supply
businesses with immediate cash on hand for reconstruction, and municipality
debt refinancing and expanded bond authority will help communities and small
businesses get back on their feet. 

Health Care 

As people have been forced to leave their homes and scatter across the
country, one of the first things that gets lost is access to quality,
affordable health care.  To help ease the burden on the health care system,
Congress is working to provide more than $2 billion for health care in the
region. This money will help to pay doctors, nurses, hospitals and
pharmacies so they can continue to provide care to victims of these
hurricanes. 

Along with the loss of jobs and income, many people are faced with the loss
of their private health insurance coverage, further reducing their access to
quality health care.  I am pushing for the passage of legislation that will
help disaster victims keep their private health insurance coverage by giving
them a tax refund for their premium payments.  Helping people keep their own
health care coverage will give them better access to preventive care and,
ultimately, reduce the burden on our emergency rooms and public hospitals. 

Housing 

The damage from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita has left thousands of homeowners
trying to pay repair costs beyond what their insurance covered.  I am glad
to say, Louisiana's Congressional delegation succeeded in its effort to
increase the National Flood Insurance Program's borrowing authority to pay
claims arising from the hurricanes.  In addition, our efforts to provide
relief for those homeowners have resulted in the inclusion of as much as
$6.2 billion in block grant funds as part of the latest supplemental
appropriation passed by Congress.  Louisiana can use these funds to help
homeowners cover their uninsured losses. 

Thousands have lost their jobs and are facing increased financial pressure
following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  Many do not know how they will be
able to make their mortgage payments in the coming months.  

One program that may provide help is from the Small Business Administration,
which offers a program for disaster victims whose homes were damaged by the
hurricane providing low interest rate mortgages through 2007. 

Additionally, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has
announced that it will assist homeowners with federally insured mortgages,
by making their mortgage payments for a year.  Working with HUD to take this
a step further, I have introduced legislation that would give excess
single-family houses owned by the federal government to disaster victims who
have lost their homes.  This would let families that have lost everything
begin to build a home again. 

Transportation 

The wind, rain, and floods generated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
destroyed our roads, highways and transportation infrastructure.  As we
repair the damage to our homes and businesses, it is important that we
rebuild our roads and bridges at the same time.  Congress has included $2.7
billion for the Gulf Coast region for just that purpose in the latest
appropriations bill.  There is specifically $627 million to repair the Twin
Span Bridge, rebuilding this vital link between New Orleans and Slidell. 

There is more left to be done, but this Christmas Season, my family and I
have been thankful for the many blessings that can not be damaged or
destroyed. The Love that inspires strangers to sacrifice to help those in
need, the Joy of family and friends, and the Peace born by faith and hope. 

Bobby