Moving Forward with Fiscal Reforms

July 15th, 2008 | Posted by admin

Dear Friends,

Moving Forward with Fiscal Reforms

On Inauguration Day, I told Louisianians that together we would create a New Louisiana – a Louisiana that gives our citizens the opportunities they deserve by taking on bold reforms and not mere cosmetic changes. For too long, state government has recklessly spent taxpayers’ money – your money – with little regard for accountability.  As I told Parade Magazine, we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to improve Louisiana, with one of those being how we invest our money on state priorities.

 

We took another step toward that New Louisiana yesterday by vetoing 258 line item vetoes in House Bill 1, saving more than $16 million. These vetoes help bring forward a new era of fiscal common sense, and are more than double the number of vetoes in the last 12 state budgets combined. By vetoing unnecessary non-governmental and governmental spending to reduce our state budget, we are ensuring that taxpayer dollars are used in a way that promotes a new Louisiana encouraging business growth and job creation so our kids do not have to leave home to pursue their dreams.

 

As noted in the Baton Rouge Advocate, I laid out specific criteria for legislators to let them know that we would support those projects which were state priorities, but would veto state funding for projects that were not. While there will always be more worthy causes than there will be state funding, it is our job to ensure tax dollars are wisely spent and invested in state priorities.

 

These vetoes come on the heels of the 25 line items I vetoed in the state’s supplemental bill, saving taxpayers more than $9.29 million. Combined with another item I vetoed in HB 1 which DHH estimated would have cost around $27 million, our strong fiscal reforms have saved taxpayers more than $52.2 million.

 

As noted in Human Events, we are “leading a revolution of conservative reform in Louisiana.” A large part of that reform is bringing a strong sense of fiscal discipline back to Louisiana. As we move forward, I will continue advocating policies that not only save taxpayer dollars, but use them efficiently and in a way that will bring a better future to our state.

 

Increasing Our Domestic Oil Supply

I was very pleased to see that the President lifted the White House moratorium on offshore drilling in the United States earlier this week. This is a good step towards lowering the high gas prices that have hampered Americans in recent months, and I hope that Congress will follow the President’s lead and not renew the moratorium which is slated to end September 30.

 

Our country has become far too dependent on foreign sources of oil in recent years, and by releasing the ban on offshore drilling we can move back towards energy independence. We need a comprehensive, balanced energy policy from the federal government that pursues everything simultaneously, from more offshore drilling to exploring nuclear, solar and wind alternative energy sources, and increasing conservation efforts.

 

This news is especially encouraging to Louisiana as we continue to work toward being the energy technology capital of the world. We will pursue incentives and tax policies to position our state as a national leader in reducing our country’s dependence on foreign sources of oil.

Governor Jindal signs the Louisiana Consumers’ Right to Know Act

Strengthening Our Health Care System

One of the best ways to improve our health care infrastructure is to increase the use of electronic medical records, and to ensure that new technology is implemented efficiently and quickly. Last week I traveled to the LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport to highlight the Louisiana Consumers’ Right to Know Act, which for the first time will create a one-stop website for patients to view information on the cost, quality and performance of their health care providers and health plans.

 

Electronic medical records have the ability to completely revolutionize our health care industry. As noted in the Shreveport Times, they will help by “increasing the convenience of a patient’s experience…and also save valuable time, effort and, ultimately, cost for medical professionals.” That is part of why we have committed more than $18 million towards the use of electronic medical records in our state. Additionally, Louisiana was recently chosen by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as one of the first four states to take part in a national Medicare demonstration project that will help pay physicians to move to using certified electronic health records to improve the quality of patient care.

 

The Consumers’ Right to Know Act will enable patients and their families to more carefully scrutinize where they are receiving their health care services and how much those services will cost, leading to an increased quality of care for many. I am very pleased that we will implement this one-stop shop for health care services, and I look forward to continuing to improve the quality and affordability of health care in Louisiana.

Governor Jindal highlights important education reforms

Improving our Educational System

I was also pleased to join local elected officials in Lafayette last week to talk about the important reforms we have implemented in our education systems. As observed by the Lafayette Daily Advertiser, “education is the best place to start to make a better state,” and we have taken some great steps forward to ensure that every child in Louisiana receives a quality education.

 

Chief among the new laws is the Teacher’s Bill of Rights, which reaffirms the rights of teachers to instill discipline in their classrooms, and shows our teachers that they have our support when it comes to keeping control in the classroom. Our state has lost too many teachers for too many years due to the lack of discipline in our classrooms, and this will go a long way towards fixing this problem. We have also signed the Teachers’ Paperwork Reduction Act, which will keep teachers from filling out duplicative and unnecessary paperwork and give them more time to spend with their students. Finally we signed legislation that will give our teachers a $1,000 raise to keep them at the Southern Regional Average.

 

We have also increased dual enrollment opportunities for students across the state. In providing a strong backbone for our educational system in this past session, we have set ourselves up to take great leaps forward in the years to come.

 

Aiding Those in California

As reported by WDSU in New Orleans, I announced this past weekend that the Louisiana National Guard will be dispatched to California to help control the wildfires that have ravaged the state in recent weeks. We here in Louisiana certainly know the importance of receiving help from our neighbors, and I am glad that we can offer California this support. Supriya and I are praying for the families affected by the wildfires, as well as the firefighters bravely holding the line against them.

 

Sincerely,

 Bobby Jindal

Governor Bobby Jindal

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