Thanksgiving Update

November 27th, 2007 | Posted by bobbyjindal

 

Dear friends,

 

Securing funding for our state


Last week, Louisiana received some very good news from Washington — critical funding is heading our way.

 

A provision was added to an important defense bill in Congress that will provide our state with $3 billion to help fill a funding gap in the Road Home program, and the President recently signed this legislation into law. 

 

This funding is a tremendous victory for our state, and a critical step in ensuring the federal government keeps its commitment to the people of Louisiana. I am deeply grateful for the generosity of the American people and our government as they aid in the continuing recovery of our state.

 

This comes on the heels of the entire Louisiana delegation voting to pass the WRDA bill that authorizes more than $7 billion in funding to help restore our wetlands and increase hurricane and flood protection for our state.

Governor Blanco and I traveled to Washington, D.C. last week in order to thank Members of Congress for their help with these two crucial bills and to inform them of Louisiana’s ongoing needs. We must be united by our dedication to helping our state – not as Republicans or Democrats, but as Louisianians first. By continuing to work together in a bipartisan manner, we can secure the funding needed to help move our state forward. 

 

Strengthening our ethics laws 

 

On Thursday, our Ethics Advisory Council held its first public hearing to discuss how we can strengthen our ethics laws.  The Council heard how the image of corruption and lax ethics laws translates directly into a lack of good jobs in Louisiana.  By enacting strong ethics laws, we will improve our national image, help attract businesses and send a message that what you know is more important than who you know when doing business in Louisiana.

 

This issue will be a cornerstone of my Administration, and I have committed to holding a special legislative session shortly after taking office to address ethics reform.  Our state and our residents cannot wait any longer to improve our state’s reputation and political culture. 

 

You can read more about this important issue below:

Ethics panel urged to aim high

Jan Moller, The Times-Picayune
“Corruption is stealing opportunity from our children, stealing opportunity for our state,” Jindal said.

 

Jindal’s advisory team pushes ‘dramatic’ ethics changes

Marsha Shuler, The Advocate
“This is not just political rhetoric,” Jindal said. “This is serious business. This is where real change begins.” 

 

In the coming weeks we will continue to have additional advisory council hearings, such as the one held on health care this week in Shreveport, and we encourage you to attend as they make recommendations regarding the detailed policy chapters that I discussed during the campaign.

 

Some of the hearings include:

 

November 26

Education (Baton Rouge)

Small Business (Lafayette)

 

November 27

Hurricane Recovery (New Orleans)

 

November 28

Government Reform (Baton Rouge)

 

Opening Shreveport office 

 

Last week, we opened a satellite transition office in Shreveport that will serve as an important connection to people in North Louisiana.  The satellite office is located on the LSU Health Sciences Center Campus at Feist-Weiller Cancer Center on 1405 Kings Highway.

 

We are searching for highly qualified, skilled individuals to help bring Louisiana a fresh start, and this satellite office will help us to reach even more Louisianians interested in working to make our state the best in the nation.

Giving thanks

 

Finally, I want to wish each and every one of you a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.  Louisiana has so much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving, and Supriya and I look forward to spending the holiday with family and reflecting on the many blessings that have been bestowed on us this past year.

 

On a personal note, I am grateful to have the most supportive, loving wife in the world, and three energetic children who help keep me grounded. 

 

I am also very thankful for the many wonderful people across Louisiana that have been so supportive over the past year and are ready to bring a fresh start to Louisiana.

 

May God continue to bless you and your family during this Thanksgiving holiday.
 

Sincerely,

Bobby Jindal
Bobby Jindal  

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