[StBernard] Continuing our Economic Momentum

[Westley Annis]

Dear Friends, 

With the arrival of the first storm to affect Louisiana's coast this year,
we took important steps to prepare for Tropical Storm Ida's landfall in the
past few days. By declaring a State of Emergency over the weekend we were
able to position critical supplies in areas most likely to be affected by
the storm, and we initiated the state's emergency operations plan to ensure
that agencies and departments across the state were working together in case
of emergency.

Although we were certainly spared the worst of this storm, we will continue
working to ensure that those in our coastal communities receive the support
they need to keep their families safe.

We did welcome some great news last week, as the tax amnesty program we
implemented over the past few months has collected more than $303 million in
additional state revenues. As the Shreveport Times
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c988%7c9390&digest
=LRT4snjAA0txy085V8cIfw>  wrote, "the decision.to institute a tax amnesty
program has proven wise."

While the program was certainly not a silver bullet to solve our budgetary
challenges, it does provide an important influx of money to help replenish
our state's rainy day fund and offset some of the drastic reductions facing
our health care system. Our program also collected significantly more
dollars than other states that implemented similar programs, more than
tripling what Oklahoma collected and generating more than seven times more
than Nevada's program.

Also, we continue to attract more great economic opportunities to our state.
As reported by the Baton Rouge Business Report
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c989%7c9390&digest
=g95tWk%2bJIXX9vDELRWHHsg> , Louisiana ranks in the top half of the country
in "Site Selection magazine's list of states with the best business
climates."

 
<http://images.publicaster.com/ImageLibrary/account848/images/20091111-Jinda
lPixel.JPG> I traveled to Lafayette to announce that Pixel Magic, a digital
effects company that works in television and movies, will move to Louisiana
and create 40 new jobs over the next few years. Pixel Magic chose Louisiana
over many other states and countries, which shows that the commitment we
made to expanding our state's entertainment industry in the past Legislative
session is paying off. As KLFY
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c980%7c9390&digest
=QSvzzXGLaEyJbxZgqAHPUw>  wrote, "That's Great economic news."

We also saw the expansion of InterMoor Inc. in St. Mary Parish that will
create 320 new direct jobs and 433 new indirect jobs, and the opening of
Northrop Grumman's geospatial facility in Slidell that will create 50 new
jobs.

Many of our state's educational leaders gathered at the Race to the Top
Summit this past week as well. Race to the Top is a program that will allow
our state and our students to compete for funding to strengthen our
educational system. In order to achieve our goal of creating a world-class
economy right here in Louisiana, education is paramount, and, as the
Lafayette Daily Advertiser
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c981%7c9390&digest
=F2S8Z1qoH83k%2bL8NIiMBYw>  wrote, "Race to the Top can help Louisiana move
closer to that goal."

To further strengthen our commitment to improving our state's educational
system, we also announced a commitment of $30 million for the construction
of LSU's new business school. This funding will help LSU compete with the
top business schools in the nation, and help keep our best and brightest
right here in Louisiana while attracting some of the best from the rest of
the nation as well.

Finally, I traveled to Chalmette last week as part of the Louisiana Working
Tour, and had a great time visiting with the hard-working people of St.
Bernard Parish. We also welcomed the National Champion LSU Baseball team to
the Governor's Mansion last week, and I had a great time meeting the
student-athletes who showed the rest of the nation just one more way
Louisiana is the greatest place in the world.

Sincerely,

Governor Bobby Jindal