[StBernard] Weekly Update: A Victory for Louisiana

[Westley Annis]

June 29, 2006	 
Dear Friends, 

It has been a very busy few days in Congress. I wanted to update you about
some of the legislation that recently passed the House of Representatives
that could impact Louisiana.

Victory for Louisiana!

First, legislation I introduced to provide Louisiana with a fair share of
energy royalties produced off our coast passed the full House of
Representatives today. A bipartisan majority of my colleagues agreed by a
vote of 232 to 187 that now is the time to let our state keep a portion of
the revenues that are produced off our coastline. 

This bill will bring Louisiana nearly $9 billion in the next 10 years, and
will eventually provide our state with approximately $2 billion a year,
money that can be used to build up flood and hurricane protection, restore
our coastline, and build our infrastructure. The bill also includes other
funds for Louisiana.

Louisiana has been fighting for fair treatment for decades, and I am glad
that my colleagues in the House have recognized the importance of this
issue. 
My bill will also reduce our country's reliance on foreign sources of energy
by encouraging more domestic energy production and will thus lower energy
costs. We are all too familiar with the rise in energy costs over the last
year and it highlights the fact that we must focus on conservation,
alternative energy sources, renewable energy, and more domestic production.

This legislation now awaits action in the U.S. Senate. 

More funds to mitigate homes

On Tuesday, I successfully offered an amendment to a national flood
insurance bill that will allow Louisiana residents to use federal funding to
demolish and rebuild devastated homes. 

As we rebuild Louisiana, we need to give homeowners options that allow them
to rebuild their lives and homes to withstand the next hurricane. South
Louisiana is home to the most repetitive loss homes in the country, and we
need to do more to prevent the catastrophic hurricane and flood damage that
we saw last year. Preventive measures to mitigate homes will save taxpayers
billions of dollars, as this program saves $4 for every $1 spent. It just
makes sense to rebuild better and stronger to prevent future flooding.

My amendment was accepted and added during debate of the Flood Insurance
Reform and Modernization Act of 2006 (H.R. 4973). This legislation boosts
coverage limits for residential properties to $470,000 from $350,000, and
increases commercial properties to $1.3 million from $1 million. This
legislation now goes to the Senate.

Support for our veterans

Also this week, the House of Representatives passed legislation to support
our country's veterans. My colleagues and I voted in favor of the Veterans
Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act (H.R. 4843), which directs the
Department of Veterans Affairs to increase the rates of veterans' disability
compensation, additional compensation for dependents, and dependency and
indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children.

I believe as a nation we must ensure that those who have honorably served in
our Armed Services are regarded with the utmost respect and appreciation. I
am grateful for the sacrifices men and women in uniform have given in order
to protect our country and the freedom it provides. These men and women have
served their country with honor; it is only fitting we serve them with the
same honor. This legislation is only one small step in keeping our nation's
commitment to our veterans. I will continue to be a vocal advocate in
Congress for ensuring that our veterans and their families are remembered.

Eliminating waste in D.C. spending

Last week, the House voted in support of important legislation to eliminate
the pork barrel waste in our federal budget. I am a proud co-sponsor of this
legislation, the Legislative Line Item Veto Act of 2006, which will help
restore fiscal discipline in our country and prevent special interest groups
from infiltrating our country's budget. 

This bill gives the President the authority to propose the elimination of
wasteful spending and special-interest tax breaks in Congressional
legislation. It also requires Congressional approval of the proposed line
item cuts. 

It is the responsibility of the federal government to make sure that the
nation's priorities, like our Armed Forces, are financed in Congressional
Appropriations bills, but these bills should not become trophies for
high-ranking and influential Congressmen to flaunt their power, and they
should not be so heavily earmarked that local dollars and programs end up
being micromanaged by the federal government. I am a firm believer that
people can spend their money better than the government and local
governments know better than the federal government. Tax dollars come from
our pockets, though some politicians seem to forget that. The long list of
ridiculous projects included in the appropriations bills every year, from
indoor rainforests to million dollar bridges to nowhere to $500,000 for a
teapot museum, demonstrates the need for reform. 

Support for children with cancer

I was proud to join my colleagues last week in voting to support efforts to
increase childhood cancer awareness, treatment, and research. The field of
medicine has made significant advances in the last few decades, but we can
and must do more to help the 12,000 children diagnosed with cancer each and
every year. Even one child affected by cancer is one too many. I will
continue to be a vocal advocate for more research and treatment funding. 

Fourth of July

As you and your families celebrate the Fourth of July next week, I hope you
will join me in remembering those who are fighting for our freedom abroad
and the veterans who have fought in the past. We owe these brave men and
women a heartfelt thank you. 

I will keep you informed as more happens in Washington, D.C., but as always,
please feel free to contact my offices to share your views and concerns.

Sincerely, 

Bobby Jindal