[StBernard] Weekly Update from Bobby - October 7, 2006

[Westley Annis]

An Update from Bobby	 
October 7, 2006	 
Dear Friends,

Protecting our children from predators

Not just as a Congressman, but also as the father of three children, I am
shocked and disgusted by the inappropriate emails and other internet
communications that were sent to minors by former Congressman Mark Foley. I
have called on the FBI to conduct a thorough, but expedited, investigation
of the actions of former Congressman Foley, as well as anyone else who knew
of his disgusting conduct.

We all have a special responsibility to protect children and anyone,
including members of Congress, who failed in that duty by not taking action
in a timely manner, should face serious consequences.

Parents trust that when they send their children to Washington, D.C. to
participate in the Congressional Page Program that their children will not
be exposed to vile and disgusting behavior such as the actions perpetrated
by Mark Foley. He has disgraced not only himself, but the entire Congress.
That cannot, and should not, be tolerated.

I will call for the immediate resignation of those proven to be implicated
in covering up this scandal, and I will strongly advocate for an immediate
overhaul of the procedures and protections of the Page Program. There can be
no place in the halls of Congress for actions that violate our children and
disgrace our nation.

Tracking sexual predators in case of natural disaster

Last week, an important provision to protect our children was included in an
appropriations bill that passed Congress. Within the Homeland Security
appropriations bill, language was added that allows FEMA to disclose
information to law enforcement agencies regarding sex offenders in the event
of an evacuation or mass relocation.

When mass evacuations took place last year for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita,
hundreds of sex offenders failed to register their new locations, and there
was no way to track these sexual predators. Many local sheriffs were
frustrated when the bureaucrats refused to tell them which sex offenders had
been sent to their parish. I have been working in Congress to fix this
issue, and was glad to see this language included that will help protect our
children from sex offenders. This bill has now been signed into law.

Increasing our border security

Before Congress adjourned last week, an important bill passed that will help
our country crack down on illegal immigration and keep our borders secure.
We already know that drugs and hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants
come across our borders now every year, and that is simply not acceptable.
Without security along our borders, biological or nuclear weapons could be
smuggled into our country across unmanned portions of our border and used
against the residents of our country. As the only member on the Homeland
Security Committee from Louisiana, I have made protecting our country a
priority, and I have been a vocal advocate for legislation to ensure the
security of our nation.

My colleagues and I in the House of Representatives passed the Secure Fence
Act of 2006, which will help secure American borders by requiring systematic
surveillance of our land and sea borders. This includes the construction of
700 miles of double-layered fencing along the border. It makes no sense to
leave hundreds of miles of our border wide open. This is not the complete
solution, but it is a start. We also approved last week $21.3 billion and
1,500 new border security agents to improve security on the border.

Our nation cannot be serious about protecting our country from the threat of
terrorism without securing our borders and preventing illegal immigration,
and I will continue to be a vocal advocate in Congress for launching more
common sense initiatives to address this serious issue.

Counting down the days to Election Day!

With only one month left until Election Day on November 7, our campaign is
gearing up for the final push to make sure voters know how important this
election is for our state. Volunteers are going door-to-door to spread the
message about our campaign, and yard signs are popping up in neighborhoods
throughout the district.

In the last year, the residents of Louisiana have faced many challenges, and
it will take strong leadership to build the Louisiana of our dreams. I am
committed to this effort and will continue to work hard to:

-Protect Louisiana values 
-Rebuild a better Louisiana out of the destruction of Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita
-Fight the war on terrorism
-Increase access to high quality health care
-Create economic opportunities so that our children do not have to leave
Louisiana
-Improve education in Louisiana

There is still a lot of work to be done before Election Day, and we need
your help to make sure we reach voters before they go to the polls on
November 7! Please email info at bobbyjindal.com or call 504-274-0080 to find
out how you can make a real difference in our state. 

As always, please feel free to contact my offices if we can be of assistance
to you.

Sincerely, 
Bobby Jindal