[StBernard] Weekly Update from Bobby - December 8, 2006

[Westley Annis]

December 8, 2006	 
 	 
Dear friends, 

The hard work pays off

The House of Representatives voted on December 8, 2006 to pass the Gulf of
Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006, and the White House has personally
assured me that the President will sign this bill when it reaches his desk.
As the author of the House version of this legislation, I have been working
around the clock to ensure that this bill gets done before the end of the
year.

This legislation ensures that our state receives a steady stream of funding
to deal with our most pressing issues. Beginning in Fiscal Year 2007,
Louisiana will receive 37.5 percent of the energy royalties in certain
offshore oil and gas leases, and parishes will receive a share of this
funding. This amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars over the first 10
years for our state, and $650 million a year after 2017 according to U.S.
Senate estimates. I have publicly stated that our state should bond this
long-term source of funding in order to generate significant short-term
revenues to rebuild our coastline and improve our infrastructure.

The urgency of this legislation cannot be overstated. For every day we wait,
more of our precious coastline and wetlands continues to disappear. With
estimated costs by some of nearly $14 billion to repair our coasts, it was
absolutely necessary that Louisiana receive significant recurring money to
repair our coasts, develop our infrastructure, and improve our flood and
hurricane protection.

Since being elected to Congress, I have made passing an energy bill that
gives Louisiana its fair share of offshore energy revenues a top priority,
and I am pleased that we were able to accomplish this goal. There is still
more to be done to support Louisiana, but this is a good step forward.

Million dollar goal by December 31st!

Thank you so much to all of you for your outpouring of support. My wife and
I are so appreciative of the note cards and emails encouraging us to decide
to run for Governor. It makes a difference to know that people from
throughout the state agree that it is time for a change in Baton Rouge.

I want to run for Governor, but to do this, I will need your help. We want
to make sure that we can reach every resident in Louisiana with our positive
message about how important it is to have strong leadership as we rebuild
our state and create economic opportunities. With this in mind, I have set a
goal of raising $1 million before the end of this year.

It will take a substantial amount of money to run a strong race, but I am
convinced that we can do it. Will you please consider giving $1000, $500,
$100, or even $25 today?

If you agree that now is the time to fix our state, I hope you will consider
contributing to my gubernatorial account. To show your support, please click
here. <https://www.campaigncontribution.com/donors_info.asp?id=3733&db=6> 

We appreciate your help!

Eliminating taxes in Louisiana

Not a day goes by that people from Louisiana do not mention to me the
importance of reviving our state so that their children or grandchildren do
not have to leave Louisiana to find success.

I was on a plane with a man from Laplace last week who was talking about how
his daughter wanted to stay in Louisiana, but ended up leaving for Memphis
for a job opportunity. Last weekend, a woman stopped by my table in a
restaurant to tell me about her grandson who moved to Atlanta after hearing
about the success his former classmates had in finding good jobs there.

As the father of three young children, I know exactly how this dad and this
grandmother feel.

I hear these types of stories time and again. This is not a problem that
will fix itself, and there is no overnight solution. But there are common
sense initiatives that our state can take to help curb this flow of people
who are leaving our state every single day.

We have to create business-friendly environment that encourages companies to
grow right here in Louisiana. Because more than anything else, our state
needs economic growth. With that growth will come more industries, more
companies, and more high-paying jobs.

The bleak economic environment that we face today is the result of decades
of bad decisions made by the leaders in our state who failed to stand up and
fight for change. But this can change.

Louisiana has an unprecedented budget surplus this year, and now is a good
time for our state government to address some of the most unfriendly
business practices in the nation. Louisiana is one of the only states that
has a franchise tax, a sales tax on machinery and equipment, and a tax on
utilities. I hope that the folks in Baton Rouge will consider tax relief a
priority this year, including reducing some of those recent income tax
increases, and not waste another opportunity to truly change our state for
the better.

Just this week, the Daily Advertiser in Lafayette wrote an editorial
highlighting the importance of making Louisiana a more business-friendly
state. I completely agree, and will keep working to make sure our state is a
place where our children and grandchildren can succeed.

To read more about the importance of eliminating these taxes in the Daily
Advertiser, click here
<http://www.acadiananow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061201/OPINION01/61
2010350/1014/OPINION> .

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Please feel free to contact my
office if we can be of any assistance to you.

Sincerely,
Bobby