[StBernard] LA Wins #1

[Westley Annis]

Dear Friends -

More good news on the economic front came last week from an analysis
conducted by the Associated Press indicating that Louisiana was one of the
last states impacted by the national recession and appears to be among the
first to begin to bounce back.  The Baton Rouge Business Report
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c009%7c9390&digest
=GYEDjDE%2fvrC4ynXsIN53Cw>  said the AP's Economic Stress Index "found that
Louisiana led the nation in economic improvements from January to February."
These numbers are further evidence that by keeping taxes low and fostering a
pro-growth economic climate we can create a New Louisiana.

We also learned last Friday that our March jobs numbers rank Louisiana
eighth best in the nation for having the lowest unemployment rate, and
second best in the Southern region. Additionally, the Baton Rouge Advocate
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c000%7c9390&digest
=Ttg6jWIkypVuzVc41AM7bA>  reported that "compared to other U.S. cities,
Louisiana's eight metro areas showed the most improvement in unemployment
rates in the nation from January to February."

I recently addressed the Northshore Business Council in Covington where I
discussed my opposition to the health care mandate passed in Washington,
D.C.  I also outlined my vision for a reformed health care system that
integrates services to provide more access for patients to a higher quality
of care here in Louisiana.  One example of this Louisiana Way Forward in
health care is the recent agreement between LSU and Our Lady of the Lake
(OLOL).  The state entered into a public-private partnership to expand
facilities at OLOL to serve Medicaid and uninsured patients in Baton Rouge
for just $14 million, rather than spending $400 million to replace an
existing hospital.  In addition to this cost savings, the new facility will
enhance the education of LSU medical students and provide the first Level 1
trauma center in Baton Rouge.  As I told the Slidell Sentry
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c001%7c9390&digest
=RqbqoLBzHgoQMsU2gObJug> , this type of public-private partnership is the
key to community specific solutions that will transform the health care
delivery system in our state.

Perhaps one of the most troubling elements of the recently passed government
health care mandate from Washington is the provision allowing the funding of
elective abortions in state health exchanges.  Immediately after this
legislation was passed in Washington, I announced that Louisiana would do
everything in its power to prevent our taxpayer dollars from funding
elective abortions under the state health exchange the legislation sets up. 

In order to guard against the taxpayer funding of elective abortions in our
Louisiana health exchange, we are working with the legislature to pass House
Bill 1247 by Rep. Frank Hoffman. Just this week, this bill passed the House
Insurance Committee and it will be up for a vote in the full House of
Representatives next.  As the Alexandria Town Talk
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c002%7c9390&digest
=SPZbYzRc%2fB5OwYAwPGwkPg>  reported, "HB1247 by Rep. Frank Hoffmann, R-West
Monroe . prohibits health-insurance providers paying for elective abortions
in Louisiana."  We will continue to get this bill approved by the
Legislature and I look forward to signing it into law. 

While Louisiana's graduation rate still remains unacceptably low, we were
pleased to recently learn that Louisiana's public schools graduated more
students than originally projected.  But there is still much work to be done
to improve our education system. We are supporting one initiative in
particular to use value-added assessments to support teachers and improve
student achievement. As the Monroe News-Star
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c003%7c9390&digest
=ytjWnbeNJgXlqzQpb2E9sw>  reports, House Bill 1033 "would require annual
evaluations for teachers and administrators," allowing school boards to
assess teacher effectiveness and reward those teachers who meet or exceed
expectations.  Ensuring our students get a great education is the absolute
foundation for their future career success.

Sincerely,

Governor Bobby Jindal