Bobby Jindal
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Archive for July, 2008
Spreading the word about our reforms
July 9th, 2008 | Posted by admin|
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| Governor Jindal addresses the Baton Rouge Press Club on Monday. |
Spreading the Word About Our Reforms
I spoke to the Baton Rouge Press Club yesterday about the future of our state and the successes of our first regular legislative session. We have completely revamped our state’s workforce development program and Department of Labor, now known as the Louisiana Workforce Commission, which will bring increased economic opportunity for both employers and employees alike. The restructuring of our state’s labor department will, as reported by the Houma Courier, “[prepare] it to confront the state’s staggering need for skilled workers,” and better link potential workers with programs and technical colleges prepared to teach them the skills they need.
I love when our children go to college, but we must realize that not all of our students will attend a university. Instead we need to encourage these students to continue their education by allowing them early participation in community and technical college programs. By revamping our workforce training programs, we can provide a path to opportunity for these students through dual enrollment programs beginning when they are still in high school. This will not only allow students to receive valuable training at a younger age, it will also showcase the many options available to them with the proper training.
This revamping of our workforce development system was the single most important package our administration pushed for in this past session, and I was pleased to sign this important legislation into law last week. Our state will now move at the speed of business, and not the speed of government, while providing employers a “Day One Guarantee” that workers will be trained and ready to work, or our community and technical colleges will retrain them for free.
While we have much work to do, we have accomplished a lot in a short period of time, such as cutting taxes, increasing our teachers’ ability to maintain discipline in the classroom, and strengthening Louisiana’s laws to protect our children from sex offenders. We have also made sure that the strong ethics changes we made earlier this year have not been weakened. As the Houma Courier stated, “Gov. Bobby Jindal struck a blow for good, responsible government” when “Jindal killed a bill…[that] would have put Ethics Board investigators at a disadvantage.” The bill, which would have prevented anonymous complaints, “would have taken away a great resource from the Ethics Board,” the paper concluded.
We have also instilled a number of fiscal reforms that make sure we are investing taxpayer money wisely. An editorial in the Shreveport Times said one such reform - strengthening requirements for non-governmental organizations to receive state funds, “set a good precedent” because “taxpayers should [not] be counted on for recurring, operational expenses of local nonprofits unless nonprofits are contracted to provide services the state cannot.”
I look forward to continuing to improve our state, and building a better Louisiana. Day by day we are cutting the chains that have held our state down for so long, and we will continue working hard every single day to make sure that our state realizes its potential. Louisiana is the greatest place in the world to raise a family, and we must continue with our reforms to give the rest of the nation and the world a reason to believe that.
Moving Forward with Levee Funding
I recently met with Louisiana’s Congressional delegation, as well as other Congressional leaders, in Washington to discuss the future of rebuilding funds for Louisiana following hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The federal government has attempted to force our state to repay its cost-share of levee funds almost immediately, instead of the thirty years that has been provided in the past. This would cause the state to pay more than $1 billion – more than a third of our yearly discretionary budget – by 2010. We are not asking that our state’s cost share be waived. We are just asking to operate under fair guidelines and for the federal government to give Louisiana the same amount of time to pay the cost share as has been provided in the past. As stated in the Baton Rouge Advocate, “it does not make sense to hit Louisiana with a three-year bill for cost-share money that usually is spread out for far longer periods.”
These current funds are simply to bring our levees to their supposed pre-Katrina levels, and are not even to provide protection against a Category 5 storm. I certainly appreciate all of the help and funding that has come to our state since Katrina and Rita, but it is unreasonable to expect our state to pay such a steep price. I will continue to work with members of Congress – we are willing to pay our fair share.
Improving Our Mental Health System
I was joined in New Orleans yesterday by Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine and local officials to discuss the significant improvements to both the delivery of mental health services and providing safety for communities from those that may be a danger to others or themselves. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita served to exacerbate the problems of a system that was already broken, and we will continue working hard to improve mental health services in Louisiana.
Our package of bills in the recently completed regular session consisted of five pieces of legislation, and more than $89 million in funds committed to support mental health care services. One example of legislation that was passed was Nicola’s law, named after slain New Orleans Police Officer Nicola Cotton, which gives judges the ability to order mandatory outpatient treatment for mentally ill patients who may be a danger to society when not provided with supervision. We have also signed into law legislation that will create mental health crisis centers, which will swiftly and accurately detail a patient’s specific mental health needs.
We also passed a law that will allow us to use technology to provide better services for mental health patients. Our new legislation will allow doctors to carry out exams on patients who may be deemed dangerous to themselves or society via telemedicine, drastically decreasing wait times and getting health services to those in need much quicker.
We will continue working to improve our entire mental health system and infrastructure in order to best provide for the needs of all Louisianians. Our mental health system has been ignored and allowed to decay for too long, and it is past time that we ensure that mental health patients have access to the help they need.
Holding Town Hall Meetings
I will be holding a series of Town Hall meetings across the state this August. More details will be given as dates and places are determined, and I look forward to meeting with residents across the state to hear your thoughts and concerns. It is a great honor to serve as Governor, and one that I do not take lightly.
Sincerely,
Governor Bobby Jindal
Welcoming International Leaders to Louisiana
April 23rd, 2008 | Posted by admin|
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| Governor Jindal and the First Lady of Louisiana greet President Bush as he arrives in New Orleans. |
Dear Friends,
Welcoming International Leaders to Louisiana
I was honored this week to welcome President Bush, Mexican President Felipe Calderón, and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to New Orleans for the opening of the Mexican Consulate and the North American Leader’s Summit. New Orleans has long been an international city, and it speaks loudly towards the direction the city is taking that it was chosen to host this important summit.
With the widening of the Panama Canal expected to be complete by 2014, larger cargo ships will be able to enter the Gulf. With Louisiana being home to five of the nation’s largest ports, we must take advantage of this opportunity. With our recent investment in our ports, Louisiana will be poised to play an even greater role in the global economy.
The Summit put Louisiana again on the world stage to show the progress that we have made after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the help that is still needed to help us fully recover. It was great to hear the support of Presidents Bush and Calderón and Prime Minister Harper for New Orleans and the rest of our state.
Visiting With Fellow Governors
Last week I met with governors from around the country and I heard many encouraging words regarding our ethics and tax reform packages from them. That same excitement was seen in a recent LSU study that showed 51 percent of Louisianians were optimistic about the future of our state - an 18 percent increase from just a year ago.
The theme of the governors’ forum was energy, an issue that is obviously very important to us here in Louisiana. We have long been a key link in the nation’s energy chain, given our offshore production in the Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana will remain a significant player in our nation’s energy policy for years to come, and it was great to discuss our nation’s energy needs and plans with my fellow Governors.
“Survey: Education, not hurricanes, now top concern,” Associated Press
Tapping Louisiana’s Workforce Potential
I was pleased to visit Lake Charles, Alexandria and Shreveport during the past week, and it was great to hear such widespread support for our workforce development goals. Also, this past week, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber endorsed our workforce legislation, saying that the plan will create an integrated workforce delivery structure that is more effective at meeting the needs of the business community. Our state has a vast potential that has been untapped for decades, and we can no longer wait to improve the way our state trains its workforce.
We must improve training for our students, starting not just in college or technical school, but in high schools and middle schools. We must improve our state’s ability to respond to inquires for economic expansion, as we have missed out on too many opportunities in the past. And finally, we must update the goals and mission of the Department of Labor to fit a 21st century workforce, not those of 20 or 50 years ago.
“Chamber Backs Workforce Package,” Baton Rouge Advocate
“Legislation Trying to Connect Jobs and Workers,” Shreveport Times
“Editorial: Workforce Plan Off to a Good Start,” Shreveport Times
Geaux Hornets!
Following the resurgence of the Saints and LSU’s National Championship, Hornets fever is now sweeping across the state. Following the Hornet’s victories over the Dallas Mavericks in games one and two of their playoff series, it is shaping up to be a very exciting playoff run for the team.
I hope you will all join me in cheering the Hornets in game three Friday night and throughout the rest of the playoffs.
Sincerely,
Governor Bobby Jindal
Building a Better Workforce
April 1st, 2008 | Posted by adminDear Friends,
Building a Better Workforce
In three short months we have made a great start toward a New Louisiana. We have dramatically transformed the reputation of our state by passing some of the strongest ethics reforms in the country. We came back with another special session and reduced and eliminated taxes that have been in place for far too long and have deterred investment in our state.
We have sent a clear signal to the nation that Louisiana is not only open for business, but we are serious about long-ranging, far-reaching reform. We cannot rest though until we have created a New Louisiana where every young person has an opportunity to get a high-paying job, start a great career, get a quality education, access the best health care, and raise a family in a safe community.
After our recent successes in ethics reform and tax reform, we must take the next step toward a New Louisiana in the regular legislative session that began yesterday with an overhaul of our workforce development system. Just as we did with ethics reform, we must set our bar high. We cannot be satisfied until our workforce is the most skilled and desired in the world.
Today, there are nearly 100,000 job opportunities across our state, many in the growing industries of transportation, healthcare, manufacturing, and construction.
However, Louisiana employers are struggling to fill these positions. While our state’s unemployment rate is at its lowest point in 30 years, tens of thousands of Louisianians continue to leave the state every year to pursue their dreams elsewhere.
To help alleviate this problem, we must partner with the business community, high schools, technical schools, and local communities to be as effective as possible in training our workers. While we should encourage all of our students wanting to attend a university, we must understand that not all students will choose to attend one. Strengthening our technical and community colleges will help ensure that those students not attending university will still have excellent opportunities to obtain further job training.
We must also guarantee to Louisiana employers that if you hire someone with a degree or certificate from one of our technical colleges, they will be ready to work for you on Day One. Additionally, we need to change our higher education funding formula to reward high-demand, high-cost programs. It makes no sense for technical colleges to make money training nail technicians, while losing money training the nurses and welders that are so desperately needed by their communities.
We must also establish the “Louisiana Fast Start Program” so we can quickly respond to workforce opportunities and challenges in the state. The Fast Start Program will make sure that Louisiana is better and faster at getting new, or expanding, employers off the ground than any other state or province in North America.
Third, we must maximize the role of business in our workforce training programs and tear down the current structure to build a re-designed, well-coordinated system geared toward a 21st century workforce. It’s time to put businesses and workers – not government bureaucrats - in the driver’s seat.
Fourth, we must expand the career options of high school students by allowing them early participation in community and technical college programs. We must provide a path to opportunity for these students through dual enrollment programs beginning when they are still in high school.
Fifth and finally, we must recruit and train new workers to fill the vacant jobs we have today. We must reach out to those Louisianians currently outside of our workforce who can match the demands of our businesses but may lack the exact skills they need or are unaware of the many opportunities for their employment.
I have included some articles from around the state detailing our workforce plan that I thought you would enjoy.
“Support Governor Jindal’s Workforce Plan,” Bossier Press Tribune
“Jindal proposal excites college administration,” Bogalusa Daily News
“Governor unveils workforce plan,” Houma Courier
“Jindal pushes workforce plan,” Baton Rouge Advocate
Tackling our Education and Health Care Systems
In addition to overhauling our workforce development programs, we must also tackle many of the other challenges facing our state. We must work towards making Louisiana a place where every child has access to a high-quality education and every Louisianian has access to affordable health care.
It is critically important that we continue to support early childhood education, LA4, to prepare our children for a lifetime of success and we must also help our teachers.
Sadly, about half of our new teachers are not in Louisiana’s public schools within five years of graduating, and one of the top reasons they list for leaving is the environment in the classroom. Louisiana currently ranks 39th out of 40 states reviewed when it comes to discipline in the classroom.
Despite the existing laws on the books, too many of our teachers do not feel protected in the classroom. They need the support of principals, superintendents, school board officials, and most importantly, the parents. We must pass a Teachers Bill of Rights - to reaffirm the rights of our teachers to teach and to discipline.
As for our health care system, Louisiana currently ranks 10th best in the nation for providing health insurance for low-income children. My budget will also provide $10 million in funding to allow more Louisiana children to receive health insurance through the Louisiana Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Studies show that up to 100,000 Americans die every year from avoidable medical errors, and that nurses spend an hour filling out paperwork for every hour they provide in care, in many hospital settings. We are providing more than $18 million to assist physicians and rural hospitals with the implementation of electronic medical records.
And we are beginning an initiative called “E-Prescribing” that allows secure electronic access and use of a patient’s medical records to prevent errors and help physicians make more informed decisions. The development of the Louisiana Health Information Exchange will provide a seamless flow of patient data from hospitals, insurance companies, and physicians across the state to ensure the highest level of patient care.
Also, too many people with mental health issues today are slipping through the cracks and ending up in our emergency rooms and in our criminal justice system. The broken pieces of our mental healthcare system affect every Louisianian. Last week, I announced “Nicola’s Law,” named after New Orleans officer Nicola Cotton, who was shot and killed by a mentally ill patient in New Orleans just months ago. Nicola’s Law will require a patient to receive the help they need even when they themselves will not do so voluntarily.
“Jindal targets state’s mental-health crisis,” The Daily Advertiser
Protecting Our Children
Finally, as the father of three young children, I cannot overstate the importance of making every effort to keep our children safe from violent criminals and sexual predators. I know some folks think it is great that you can go online today and see where these monsters live, block by block – but I look forward to the day when you can go online and see that they all live in one place – in Angola – far away from our kids.
In this session, we must increase the penalties for sexual predators that prey on our kids. We must double and triple the sentences for those who harm our children – especially for those sex offenders that prey on our kids through the internet. And, once someone is convicted of a sex crime, we should require them to register as a sex offender for the duration of their life – not just 15 years – but their entire life. Victims have to live their entire lives with the memory of what happened to them; perpetrators should not face a lesser sentence.
Louisiana will be known for our strict laws against this vile behavior, and those thinking of harming our state’s children will now know the consequences they will face. Louisiana is the greatest place in the world to raise a family, and these changes will make our state safer for all our families.
Below is an article detailing our plans to increase penalties for sexual predators.
“Jindal seeks crackdown on sex crimes,” Baton Rouge Advocate
I have also included below some stories on the upcoming session, as well as my speech to the Legislature.
“Governor Bobby Jindal’s regular session opening speech,” The News Star
“Jindal pushes training,” Baton Rouge Advocate
“Jindal pushes lawmakers to pass ‘work force development’ changes,” Associated Press
“Governor Jindal remains on a roll,” New Orleans CityBusiness
Sincerely,
Governor Bobby Jindal
Bringing Transparency to Government
February 25th, 2008 | Posted by adminDear Friends,
Bringing Transparency to Government
Thanks to the hard work of the Legislature over the past two weeks, we are now on the verge of passing strong ethics reform legislation called for by the people of Louisiana. Transparency and openness are the foundation of the new Louisiana, and these reforms will help move our state from the bottom five states to the top five in terms of strong ethics laws.
Transparency is critical to changing our state’s image and building a better Louisiana not only in the present, but for our children and grandchildren as well. Recent studies by both LSU and Forbes have shown that the most important issue Louisiana must address to entice more companies to locate in our state is a dramatic strengthening of our ethics laws. Thanks to the Legislature and your help, we are on the brink of accomplishing that goal.
For example, House Bill 1, one of the cornerstones of my ethics reform plan, will strengthen our state’s disclosure laws, making elected officials’ and many appointees’ financial records public and available on-line. This legislation has passed both the House and Senate and the final details are being worked out in a Conference Committee before being sent to my desk for signature.
Two other bills are also in Conference Committee- Senate Bills 1 and 8 - that will prevent state officials from obtaining state contracts and will put an end to the lavish meals that elected officials are currently able to accept.
These bills are critical to our efforts to reform our state’s ethics laws. These bills, along with others, are awaiting final passage by the Legislature, and are a testament to both the new Legislature and the people of Louisiana.
The cry for change has been heard, and, as we enter the final week of this special session, now is not the time for rest. There is still work to be done as these bills and many others are worked out in Conference Committees, and we still need your help to ensure their passage.
I have attached links to a few stories I believe you might find interesting regarding our ethics session.
“Key Bills in Ethics Reform Package Moving Toward Passage” The Daily Advertiser
“Jindal’s Ethics Plan on Track” The Baton Rouge Advocate
Meeting with Fellow Governors
I was pleased to attend part of the National Governors Association’s winter meeting in Washington, D.C. this past weekend. The meeting allowed me to meet with other governors to discuss and share ideas pertaining to transportation, education, and energy, three issues that are critical to the future of our state.
Many governors asked about the ethics reforms we are currently pursuing and expressed their support for these measures. The nation is taking notice that this is not the same old Louisiana, and that we are on the rise.
Sincerely,
Governor Bobby Jindal
Shining the Light of Transparency
February 19th, 2008 | Posted by adminDear Friends,
Shining the Light of Transparency
The House and Senate took a great step forward last Friday in passing HB1 and SB1, respectively. I was particularly pleased that the Senate passed legislation requiring significantly more transparency from lobbyists, banning of free tickets, ending lavish meals, and preventing conflicts of interest by ending the practice of legislators having contracts with the state. The House also passed one of the nation’s toughest financial disclosure forms and applied it to all elected officials and several appointed officials.
These bills are the critical first step in turning our state around, and we are still working in order to ensure their overall passage.
We have been given a unique opportunity to erase the sins of our state’s past, and build a better Louisiana for our children and grandchildren. Failure is not an option, and I will not rest until our state’s image has been rebuilt.
While we have taken this important first step, we still need your help. Ethics reform is not something that can be accomplished without strong public support, and I encourage you to continue to let your elected officials know that Louisiana is ready for change and that you agree with the strong legislation moving through the Legislature. I have also included a link below that I think you may find interesting regarding our ethics package.
“Cozy Corruption Should End Soon,” New Orleans City Business
Taking FEMA to Task
Many of you may have seen the announcement made last week by the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that they have discovered high levels of formaldehyde in FEMA trailers in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast. As a Congressman, I called for Congressional hearings to investigate this matter almost a year ago, and it is absolutely unacceptable for there to be such a delay in addressing this situation.
The federal government must now provide care to those living in FEMA trailers that were affected by this mistake, as well as provide more in-depth details as to their plans for relocating the 36,000 people living in temporary housing along the Gulf Coast. It has been over two years since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the time for talking is over. Action must be taken.
Honoring Louisiana’s Longest-Married Couple
Supriya and I were honored to be joined by Ferdinand and Emily Cavalier, Louisiana’s longest-known married couple, at the Governor’s Mansion on Valentine’s Day. The Cavaliers, of Schriever, were married in 1931, and have since been joined by ten children, two dozen grandchildren, three dozen great-grandchildren and nine great-great-grandchildren.
It was great to see a husband and wife still so much in love after 77 years of marriage, and it truly speaks to the power of this great institution. Supriya and I wish them many more years of happiness.
Sincerely,
Governor Bobby Jindal
Working to Lower Insurance Costs
December 18th, 2007 | Posted by admin|
Dear Friend, I hosted Florida Governor Charlie Crist last week to discuss how our states can work together to preserve our wetlands and combat the common insurance problems we both face. Florida and Louisiana have several things in common – the threat of hurricanes, skyrocketing insurance costs and wetlands that need preserving. We discussed the large cost involved in trying to restore Louisiana’s coast. Louisiana cannot afford to pay the estimated $14 billion or more costs alone, so we must look to our federal government and private companies to partner with us to secure our coastland for future generations. The federal government paid for significant portions of the Chesapeake Bay and Florida Everglades restorations, and I will continue to work as Governor to ensure that Louisiana receives the same type of support. I also spoke with Governor Crist about the need for a national catastrophic insurance plan. As you may recall, I joined Representative Ron Klein (D-FL) in sponsoring the Homeowners’ Defense Act (H.R. 3355) that would create a reinsurance plan. Reinsurance would help ensure individuals’ claims are paid after a large disaster, and would help lower the cost of insurance and increase availability in areas like the Gulf Coast. That bill, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives in November, is currently awaiting action in the U.S. Senate. You can read more about my meeting with Governor Crist below:
Addressing ULM Graduates I told graduates at the University of Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday that they can accomplish their goals and that Louisiana is a great place to pursue their dreams. Too often, we see graduates feel like they must move outside of Louisiana to be successful. That is a trend we must change. The best chance Louisiana has in moving to the top of the good lists is to retain these highly-skilled college graduates and have them invest in our state’s future. Research has shown that a higher education degree translates into better health care outcomes, lower crime rates, better paying jobs and an overall improved quality of life. By keeping graduates like the ones at ULM in Louisiana, we can begin to reverse these outcomes and turn our state around. Read more about my graduation address at ULM below: Encouraging University/Business Partnerships The Higher Education Transition Advisory Council met at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston last week to discuss how universities and the private sector can partner together to bolster research and promote economic development in the state. Members toured businesses that got their start on the university campus and saw the potential when research is used by students and universities for economic development. Over the past three years, Louisiana Tech has averaged more than 30 inventions a year, filed 57 patent applications, and helped eight start-up companies get off the ground. This example is being duplicated at other universities around the state and we must invest and give these universities the tools they need to play an even greater economic development role in the future. Members of the Council also heard the importance of universities and community colleges working with local communities to ensure the workforce needs of businesses are met. That will be even more important as businesses decide to locate or develop in our state with projects such as the Cyber Command at Barksdale Air Force Base in Northwest Louisiana. Increasing Retention and Recruitment A site selection specialist and an editor of a site selection magazine both told the Business Retention and Recruitment Transition Advisory Council last week that having a good road infrastructure, a skilled workforce and an environment without burdensome business taxes were the top factors that business executives consider when looking at possible places to invest. They also said that Louisiana must overcome the current negative perception held by others that our state is corrupt and not business friendly. This testimony by national experts reiterates the need to pass meaningful ethics reform and send a strong message that what you know is more important than who you know when doing business. We must also invest in our infrastructure and can begin by dedicating and spending the existing transportation taxes and fees on our roads. The Transition Advisory Councils will conclude their meetings this week and will begin the process of reviewing the information and ideas gathered from people all across Louisiana. The final Advisory Council meetings this week are: Today Wednesday Sincerely,
Bobby Jindal |
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