Holding Town Hall Meetings

Beginning this week, I look forward to sitting down with you around the state to share about the progress we have made, but more importantly, to hear the concerns facing your community firsthand. We have accomplished a lot in a short time, but still have much work to do when it comes to making sure that our students have access to a quality education, our roads are safe to travel, citizens have access to quality and affordable health care and the state is investing your money wisely.

A recent letter to the Baton Rouge Advocate is reminiscent of what I have heard from a number of you over the past week encouraging us to continue moving forward with Louisiana’s new era of fiscal common sense.  The letter states, “Thank you, Gov. Bobby Jindal for taking the first steps in creating a budget for the entire state, for removing the projects that should be under community, philanthropy, church, local government, self-help and/or any concerned citizen.”

As I said last week, there will always be more worthy causes than there will be state funding. But it is our job to ensure tax dollars are wisely spent and invested in state priorities that will further the creation of a New Louisiana that encourages business growth and job creation so our kids do not have to leave home to pursue their dreams.

The Monroe News-Star pointed out that the $16.14 million I vetoed last week in the state budget is “no chump change, especially if it represents money that was taken from the pockets of Louisiana taxpayers.” They continued by saying our “intention was to protect the taxpayer,” and that “the governor’s actions were… consistent with the governor’s promises to the people of Louisiana. He promised to be a good steward of public funds.”

I look forward to visiting with you in the coming weeks.  On Tuesday we begin our town hall meetings in Northwest Louisiana.  I hope to see you there.

Tuesday, July 21

12:15pm – Homer (Claiborne Parish), City Hall

2:00pm – Springhill (Webster Parish), Community Activity Center

3:30pm – Vivian (Caddo Parish), Vivian Elementary and Middle School

As evidenced by the appearance of a strong storm in the Gulf of Mexico this week, this year’s hurricane season is upon us, and it is critical that every Louisiana family have a gameplan if faced with an approaching storm.

A few weeks ago I told you about our “Get a Gameplan” hurricane preparedness campaign, featuring LSU football coach Les Miles and New Orleans-based rock band Better Than Ezra. Last week we unveiled the public service announcements that you will soon see on television.  You can get a sneak peek at the spots here.

I encourage you all once again to visit the state’s new preparedness website, www.GetaGameplan.org, and utilize the tips and information found there to ensure that your family is prepared this hurricane season. 

Too often, when a family requires human or social services, they are required to go to several locations to fill out multiple forms, creating layers of unnecessary red tape that hinder their ability to receive the help they need. Last week I traveled to New Orleans to sign legislation that created Neighborhood Place, taking a great step forward to cutting that red tape. 

Senate Bill 701 creates Neighborhood Place, which will bring the Departments of Social Services, Education, Health and Hospitals, the Louisiana Workforce Commission and Office of Juvenile Justice together at a single location, creating a much more efficient delivery of services. As reported in the Times-Picayune, the first facility will open at the Mahalia Jackson School in Central City New Orleans and will offer prenatal care, nutrition programs and job training. Community leaders in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, West Feliciana and Sabine Parishes have also expressed interest in opening a facility. 

Welcoming Our Troops Home

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.

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.

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,

Governor Bobby Jindal

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

Ensuring Fiscal Discipline

Earlier this week I vetoed 25 items – totaling more than $9 million — targeted for non-state projects and initiatives. As I said in a letter to the Legislature as they began the process of debating this year’s budget bills, these types of projects and groups would need to meet four specific criteria, such as having a statewide or substantial regional impact, or otherwise be vetoed.

I will once again make myself clear – pork-barrel spending, slush funds, and pet projects no longer have a place in Louisiana’s budget. We have seen at the federal level how this type of spending leads to ridiculous projects receiving funding, such as the bridge to nowhere, and I will not allow us to go down the same path here in Louisiana.

Some of the programs that I vetoed pursue good and worthy goals, but did not meet these important criteria to make state spending more responsible, transparent and accountable. The state will never have a shortage of good ideas looking for state funding. But it is our duty to serve as watchdogs for taxpayers, ensuring that their money is invested wisely.

Since taking office, we have made other fiscal reforms that has reduced state spending, making better use of taxpayer money. Some of those reforms include:

• Eliminating the use of “one-time” money to cover recurring expenses.
• Cutting 984 state government positions, saving an estimated $58 million;
• Eliminating two government offices and consolidating six others; and
• Saving $39 million as a result of a statewide government hiring freeze, saving $14 million more than originally expected.

The Baton Rouge Advocate applauds this fiscal discipline saying, “[Jindal] has demonstrated a concern for the public’s view on pay raises and its interest in responsibly spending tax money.”

As we continue to review projects in House Bill 1, I will continue to use the same criteria for projects, helping to identify greater savings for our state.

Strengthening our State’s Economy

For the third time this week, Louisiana’s bond rating has been raised by a major credit rating agency. Today, Fitch Ratings upgraded Louisiana’s general obligation bond rating from an A to an A+. Earlier this week, Moody’s Investors Services boosted the grade from A2 to A1, and Standard and Poor’s Rating Services increased our state’s credit rating on general obligation bonds from an A to an A+ and on state-backed debt from an A- to an A. This will allow our state to borrow money more cheaply, saving taxpayers money in the future. As noted by the Associated Press, this increase came from, among other factors, “budget discipline that will help the state withstand any income slowdowns.”

We got three chances to show the financial world that Louisiana is making wise fiscal decisions and we came away with three solid hits. By showing a strong sense of fiscal discipline in this year’s budget by eliminating the use of one-time funds to pay for recurring expenses, our state has gained national attention. This is another sign that Louisiana is open for business, and that businesses around the nation and around the world should look at Louisiana as a potential location for expansion or relocation. However, there is still much more work left to do in order to improve our state’s finances, and we will continue to enact measures that bring this kind of positive attention to our state, proving once again that Louisiana is the best place in the world to raise a family.

Relocating Another Company to Louisiana

Last week another multimillion dollar business announced it will be relocating its headquarters and research and development laboratories to Louisiana. Bercin, Inc. will move from Rhode Island, bringing an investment of more than $5 million to Livingston Parish, with salaries averaging $90,000 plus benefits. As reported by the Baton Rouge Advocate, “the company’s sales have tripled in recent years to more than $60 million and 40 percent of its business comes from exports, a phenomenon that brings more money into the state.”

It is especially telling that Bercen’s President and CEO stated that he felt like Louisiana provides a more competitive business tax climate than their current home in the Northeast, as well as a better ability to recruit employees from area universities. By cutting the burdensome taxes as we have done that have harmed Louisiana’s economy and our families for too long, we will be able to attract additional businesses like Bercen to Louisiana, as well as help businesses already here grow and expand.

This is the fifth large economic development announcement this year, and I will continue working hard to ensure that these opportunities continue to come throughout our state.

Protecting Our Children

I was outraged by the decision made by the United States Supreme Court this past week declaring that they would overturn the death penalty in a Louisiana case given for a man convicted of child rape. And just yesterday we learned that in making their decision, the Supreme Court overlooked a 2006 Act authorizing the death penalty for child rape under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. We have spoken to the Attorney General’s office, as well as others involved in the case, and encouraged them to review these new facts and consider petitioning the court for a rehearing.

As the father of three young children, I am appalled by the court’s ruling in this case. And, as shown in this article by the Associated Press, elected officials across the country are upset with this decision as well.

The court ruled that the death penalty was unconstitutional – I say this is a slap in the face to parents, families, and children across the state of Louisiana. It is incomprehensible to me, and reflects a clear abuse of judicial authority. One Justice even stated that ‘the death penalty is not a proportional punishment for the rape of a child.’ The Justices on the court obviously have a different definition of proportional punishment than the people of Louisiana, and we will continue working to amend our state’s statutes in order to maintain the death penalty as a punishment for these horrible crimes.

On the very same day as the court’s decision, I signed into law Senate Bill 144, which authorizes the chemical castration of convicted sex offenders. I am very pleased that we now have such stringent penalties against sex offenders in our state, which shows that we will do whatever it takes to protect our children.

I was also pleased to visit Monroe yesterday along with Louisiana State Police Colonel Mike Edmonson to sign multiple bills into law that will further protect our children. Among the new laws, as reported by the Monroe News Star, are lifetime registration for sex offenders and increasing minimum sentences for solicitation of a minor and for molesting a juvenile. We have also signed into law legislation that will allow internet providers to limit service to convicted offenders, and to prohibit offenders from wearing a mask on days such as Halloween. These new laws send a strong signal to sex offenders that they should stay far away from Louisiana.

Tackling the Challenges Ahead
I want to take one more opportunity to thank you for sharing your thoughts regarding my veto earlier this week of a proposed pay raise for the Legislature. As I said, I made a mistake by attempting to allow the Legislature to handle their own internal affairs, and have since realized this is an untenable position when juxtaposed with our reform agenda.

As stated by National Review, the “… move on Monday wasn’t some procedural goo-goo move, it was about honesty and leadership.”

It’s time to get back to doing the people’s business. As the Lafayette Daily Advertiser states, “…voters now can turn their attention to the good things accomplished in this year’s two special sessions and the regular session just ended.”

The Daily Advertiser continues by saying that the non-profit Council for a Better Louisiana, “lists the revamping of workforce training as the most significant piece of legislation in the administration package” and that the legislation will “help streamline the workforce-delivery system, make it more responsive to employers and ultimately get more of the types of skilled workers needed in Louisiana.”

 I want to thank you, and all the citizens of Louisiana, who have become so engaged during the recently completed legislative session, as well as our earlier two special sessions. As noted by the Tri-Parish Times, “People are ready for change. They’ve embraced it. And now, they’ve demanded it.”

As we continue to move forward toward a New Louisiana, I ask you to stay involved. There is a lot more to do, and I look forward, with your help, to tackle the many challenges that continue to face our state.

Kicking Off the Annual Peach Festival

I had the opportunity to help kick off the annual Peach Festival last Friday in Ruston. The festival is one of the longest continuing agriculture festivals in Louisiana, and has earned that distinction largely through involvement by community members and community volunteerism. Ruston Peaches are known throughout the world and the festival is just another example of one of our unique state treasures.

Happy 4th of July!

I want to wish you and your family a happy and safe July 4th weekend. While this weekend is certainly a time to get together with family, have barbeques, and relax, it is also a weekend for reflection and thanks. We so often take for granted the things that make our country great, and I hope you take a minute this weekend to remember why America is the greatest country on Earth.

Sincerely,

Governor Bobby Jindal

Today, I vetoed the legislature’s bill to increase their pay, S.B. 672.

I have opposed this pay from the very beginning. A doubling of legislative pay that takes effect prior to the next election is clearly excessive and is bad policy. This bill would also have set up a system to give legislators automatic pay raises in the future without additional legislative votes, which provides an unacceptable level of accountability.

I clearly made a mistake by telling the legislature that I would allow them to handle their own affairs, and as with all mistakes, you can either correct them or compound them. I chose to correct my mistake by vetoing this bill.

I had previously stated that I would let this bill become law without my signature because I did not want to give legislators any excuse to slow down the momentum of our reform movement here in Louisiana. It turns out this is an unsustainable position. I have come to realize that the reforms I have been fighting for are simply incompatible with this legislative pay raise. The bottom line is that allowing this excessive legislative pay raise to become law would so significantly undercut our reform agenda, and so significantly diminish the people’s confidence in their own government, that I could not let it become law. So, I have vetoed the bill.

I am looking forward to tackling the many challenges facing our state…there are roads to build, jobs to create, business to open, and kids to educate.

I want to thank you, and all the citizens of Louisiana, who have become so vocal on this issue and so involved in the process, and ask you to stay involved. There is a lot more to do. Don’t tune out or stop paying attention to the political process now. This government belongs to you; it is your business. I’m going to need your help.

Sincerely,

Governor Bobby Jindal

Closing Another Historic Session

The reforms that we have made over the past six months have truly been historic and will help change the face of our state for generations to come. Our first Special Session addressed ethics reform, and transformed our state from one that sits at the bottom to top in the nation in disclosure. Our second Special Session transformed our state’s business tax structure, making Louisiana an attractive place for businesses to grow and expand, bringing more jobs and putting more dollars in workers’ pockets.

Just as our two special sessions earlier this year, the regular session proved to be an historic one. We have instituted important reforms in our education, health care, and workforce systems, and have continued to restructure our tax system so that more of your hard earned dollars stay in your pockets.

Our accomplishments this session are many and are great first steps to the New Louisiana that we all are working toward. A New Louisiana that is the best place in the world to raise a family, get a quality education and pursue a great career. Word is spreading that Louisiana is changing, but we still have a lot more work to do. 

Biggest Income Tax Reduction in State History

Earlier this week I was joined by Senator Buddy Shaw in Shreveport to mark the signing of the largest income tax reduction in our state’s history by removing the burdensome Stelly Tax.

As WDSU-TV reported, this is the sixth tax cut I have signed since taking office in January, and I have pledged to continue to cut taxes. The elimination of the Stelly tax gives more than $300 million back next year to the hard working families across our state, and more than $1 billion over the next five years. I am a strong believer that people can spend their money better than government and I will continue to be a strong advocate for putting more of the taxpayers’ money back in their pockets and giving families across the state more economic opportunities.

Reforming Workforce Development

As we continue to reform many of our state’s outdated policies and procedures, the revamping of our state’s workforce development system is one that will help reverse a trend and help ensure we have the trained workers necessary to fill the jobs currently available and those that will be created when companies build and expand. In recent years, many employers have chosen sites in Alabama, Texas, and other neighboring states because they did not feel Louisiana had the workforce in place to support their companies. With our reforms, that will change.

The workforce development reforms that the Legislature passed will, as reported in the Houma Courier, “streamline the state Labor Department and help it to better respond to regional workforce issues.” These reforms update the state’s past policies that were created for the 20th century economy to one that reflects the 21st century economy that we currently face. We will do a much better job of matching training classes to potential jobs, and are offering our graduates a “Day One Guarantee” that they will be trained on the first day of their new jobs, or our community and technical colleges will retrain them for free.

As reported by the Associated Press, the revamping of our workforce development system “will help better connect employers with a pool of skilled workers to fill thousands of job vacancies in Louisiana.” By increasing dual enrollment programs throughout the state, we are providing students in high school with earlier opportunities to begin training for future employment. These reforms will help grow our state’s economy, putting more money in the pockets of our families and businesses alike.

Education Reform

Our greatest investment is our children. Our educational reforms will help give teachers the tools they need to help ensure that all our children receive a quality education.

We have passed a Teacher’s Bill of Rights, giving teachers the knowledge that we stand behind them in the classroom and will not allow bad behavior to prevent our students from receiving a quality education. The Teacher’s Bill of Rights is, as the Opelousas Daily World stated, “an important first step in giving back to teachers the minimum things needed for them to teach properly.” The Daily World also wrote that it will “give teachers a stronger hand when they must deal with undisciplined and disruptive students who probably shouldn’t be in the classroom in the first place - and with parents who think their unruly kids should be allowed to do as they please wherever they please.”

Other education reforms include:

• Giving teachers a more than $1,000 a year pay raise in order to keep their salaries in line with the Southern Regional average,
• Reducing duplicate, burdensome paperwork for teachers, allowing them instead to use that time teaching our children,
• Investing in a Literacy and Numeracy Initiative to train our school leaders, and reading and math specialists to better prepare students struggling with their reading and math skills.

The effects of these changes will be felt in classrooms throughout the state, and will allow positive trends, such as our increasing LEAP scores for our 4th and 8th graders, to continue to improve in the future.

Protecting Our Children

As the father of three young children, I understand how vitally important it is that we keep them safe from violent criminals and sexual predators. During this legislative session, we strengthened our laws to protect our children from those who seek to do them harm, and protect them from these vile and disgusting acts.

We have doubled and tripled the sentences for those who harm our children – especially for those sex offenders that prey on our kids through the Internet, and have broadened the penalties for computer-aided solicitation of minors to include text messages. And, once someone is convicted of a sex crime, we now 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.

Health Care Reform

We have also taken great steps to help modernize our health care system, improve patient outcomes, and lower costs. I will soon sign into law legislation that creates a website which will allow patients to compare and contrast the costs and performance of health care facilities throughout the state. The Associated Press reported that the bill will allow patients to, “search data on complications, mortality rates, bed sore rates and post-operation infections to know which hospital or clinic they want to visit.”

We have also strengthened our state’s mental health system, a system that was flawed, but was crippled greater by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. One example of legislation that was passed was Nicola’s law, named after slain New Orleans Police Officer Nicola Cotton, which allows a judge to order mandatory outpatient treatment for mentally ill patients who may be a danger to society when not provided with supervision. We have also passed legislation that will create mental health crisis centers, which, as WWL TV reported “would relieve hospital emergency rooms of caring for mental health patients and give police officers a place to bring people with mental health needs.”

Through aggressive outreach efforts, we have helped add 11,000 uninsured children to the Louisiana Children’s Health Insurance Program, surpassing enrollment goals for the year and showing a commitment to ensure that all of Louisiana’s children have access to health care. With the implementation of this expansion and online application, LaCHIP now covers more that 646,000 children throughout the state that might not otherwise have access to care.

Finally, during this session Louisiana was 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. Electronic medical records have the potential to revolutionize our health care system, decreasing mistakes that cost the lives of thousands of Americans every year and making it more efficient, cost-effective, and able to provide quality care to more people.

Youth Art at the Mansion

As reported by KATC TV, this week my wife Supriya announced that for the first time artwork by Louisiana youth will be displayed prominently on a regular rotating basis at the Governor’s Mansion, joining dozens of other pieces on loan from galleries, museums, art collectors featuring Louisiana artists.  Different young artists will be featured every month.

This month’s artists are winners of the Louisiana Art Education Association’s annual contest, with winners from the Governor’s Office of Environmental Education and Alcoa Art and Art Literature competition (pictured) being featured in July.

I can think of no better way to showcase the talent of the youth of our state than to feature their work in the Governor’s Mansion.

The Baton Rouge Advocate also did a feature article this week on Supriya that shares with everyone else what I already know – she is an incredible wife, a loving mother and an amazing First Lady for our state.

Sincerely,

Governor Bobby Jindal

Repealing the Stelly Tax

The passage of SB 87, which repeals the burdensome Stelly Tax, marks our sixth tax cut since taking office in January and marks the biggest single income tax repeal in the history of our state.  This puts money back where it belongs - in the pockets of hard-working families in our state.

As reported in the Baton Rouge Advocate, this legislation will “initially cut state income taxes by $359 million per year.”  This is great news for the hard working families of our state.

Taxpayer money is not an open checkbook for government to spend at will, and I am a firm believer that people can spend their money better than government. I will continue to work to instill fiscal discipline and responsible use of your money.

But as the Baton Rouge Advocate points out in an editorial, “the appetite for stuffing the pork barrel appears not to be decreasing, but instead increasing in the Legislature.” That must end.  Let me be clear — pork-barrel spending does not have a place in our budget, and that I will veto any projects that do not meet specific criteria. As the Advocate concludes, this standard is “one of the correct ways to analyze whether state money ought to be spent,” and vetoing this type of spending would “be a healthy step forward for Louisiana to inject more rigor into the politics of budget-building in the State Capitol.”

Improving our Health Care System

This past week our mental health package was passed almost unanimously by the Legislature, ensuring a new future for our state’s mental health system. As the Lafayette Daily Advertiser said, these bills “will serve the state well in dealing with what many consider a crisis in mental health care,” and “we salute the governor for pushing such needed legislation.”

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita served to highlight the problems our mental health system was faced with even before the storms, and this is a great step forward in providing proper mental health care for all Louisianians. Chief among these bills is “Nicola’s Law,” which allows a judge to order mandatory outpatient treatment for mentally ill patients who may be a danger to society when not provided with supervision. The bill has been named after slain New Orleans Police Officer Nicola Cotton, who was allegedly murdered by a mentally-ill patient who had been in and out of mental institutions and was off his medication.

Additionally, I was pleased to be joined by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt in Baton Rouge last week to announce that Louisiana has been selected 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. As the Baton Rouge Advocate noted, this is an issue that has been important to me since I served as Secretary of DHH, saying “there is no doubt that Jindal has been involved in the issue for years.” Indeed, we have provided $18 million in our budget to encourage physicians and hospitals to use electronic health records.

Electronic medical records have the capacity to completely transform our health care system, making it more efficient, cost-effective, and able to provide quality care to more people. More than 100,000 Americans die each year from avoidable medical errors, and studies have shown that nurses spend an hour filling out paperwork for every hour of care they give at many hospitals. This program will be a huge boost to fixing these issues, and I am very pleased that Louisiana has been chosen to participate.

Investing in Lake Pontchartrain and Storm Protection

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated South Louisiana, leaving tons of debris in their wake.  Now some of that debris will be put to helping protect our state from future hurricanes. 

A new initiative, announced last week, will use debris from the old Interstate 10 Twin Span bridges damaged by Hurricane Katrina, to help shore up our levees and help support our marine wildlife, saving the state upward of $15 million. As reported in the New Orleans Times-Picayune, these efforts will strengthen “breakwaters off the coast to help reduce storm surge in the lake.”

This is a first for Louisiana, and will be an incredible interagency effort to provide not only an important habitat for our marine wildlife, but to help support the levee and flood protection systems in and around New Orleans. The reefs will be constructed of rubble from the demolition of two 500 foot spans of the Twin Span Bridge, and their construction is scheduled begin next year.

Protecting our Teachers

The Legislature also passed the Teachers Bill of Rights last week, an important part of my education reform package. We must ensure that our teachers have the support of administrators and families alike, and that they will be protected against violence in the classroom. This bill of rights will give teachers the confidence that we stand behind them to do their jobs.

For too long our state has been losing quality teachers at an alarming rate, and those leaving list classroom discipline as a major factor in their choice to leave. In fact, Louisiana was ranked 39th out of 40 states surveyed by a national education publication in terms of classroom discipline. In order to provide every child in our state with a quality education, we must ensure that there are quality teachers here to guide them. This bill will go a long ways towards that goal, and I look forward to signing it into law.

Traveling the State

I was honored to be joined earlier today in Leesville by Congressmen Jim McCrery and Rodney Alexander, among other public officials, to honor our armed forces. We met with community and military leaders to sign a covenant to ensure continued support and partnership development in concert with Fort Polk and Leesville.

Our servicemen and women are true heroes, and they are very important to both the present and future of our state. To underline the importance of Fort Polk to our state, we have committed funding to four-lane Louisiana Highway 28 between Alexandria and Fort Polk, increasing development opportunities and transportation access in the area for years to come.

Also, our hurricane preparedness tour made a stop in Lake Charles last week in order to continue educating residents on the importance of being prepared for a storm in advance.

Once a storm comes it is too late, stressing the importance that every family has their own plan in place. I once again encourage you all to visit www.GetaGameplan.org for ideas and suggestions as to how to prepare for hurricane season.

Sincerely,

Governor Bobby Jindal

Dear Friends,

Ensuring Quality Health Care for Our Children

I was proud to join Secretary Alan Levine of the Louisiana Department of Health (DHH) and Hospitals at the Children’s Coalition for Northeast Louisiana in Monroe last week to announce that, as the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported, “Aggressive outreach efforts have helped the state add 11,000 [uninsured] children” to the Louisiana Children’s Health Insurance Program (LaCHIP) since January. DHH has already surpassed its enrollment goals for this program for the entire year, showing a commitment to ensuring that all of Louisiana’s children have access to health care.

One of my first acts as Governor was to secure approval to expand LaCHIP to insure children up to 250 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. We have also recently created an online application for those wishing to find coverage under LaCHIP, increasing access to the tools and materials needed in order to apply for the program. With the implementation of this expansion and online application, LaCHIP now covers more that 646,000 children throughout the state that might not otherwise have access to care. Since LaCHIP was started, as I was ending my tenure as Secretary of DHH, we have decreased the portion of uninsured children in our state from 25 percent to five percent.

The story of one of these children was told in the Monroe News-Star. Taryn Eldridge, a recent college graduate who had to move back in with her parents following a divorce, suddenly found herself without the ability to provide her child, Reese, with health insurance. However, she was one of the first to sign up for LaCHIP’s expansion program, and Reese now has insurance. “I was so excited to hear that my baby would have insurance,” she said.

Taryn and Reese’s story is important because it signifies how LaCHIP encourages working families to become self-sufficient and allows working parents to pay premiums. Currently our system rewards those without jobs by providing them with free health insurance, among other things, but then cuts them off once they have found employment. Hence, without LaCHIP, Taryn would have been unable to provide care for Reese after gaining employment, in effect punishing her for finding a job. We must stop discouraging people from working, and instead provide them with opportunities that encourage them to work.

It is absolutely critical as move forward that we make certain all Louisianians, especially those from lower income and working families such as Reese Eldridge, have access to high-quality affordable health care, and working to increase the enrollment in health insurance programs for children is a vital part of that mission. This will improve our state’s overall health care system as well, decreasing the number of unnecessary emergency room visits and the accompanying health care costs. It will also help in ensuring that our children are healthier, which will in turn lead to them missing fewer school days and increase their academic performance.

We will continue working to find ways to increase access to quality, affordable health care for every Louisianian, and this is certainly a great start.

Signing Legislation into Law

I have recently signed a number of bills into law, including House Bill 770 - which broadens the crime for computer-aided solicitation of minors to include text messages.

We must continue to strengthen our laws in order protect our children from those who seek to do them harm. As the father of three young children myself, I certainly understand the importance in protecting them from these vile and disgusting acts, and I have made this an important part of our legislative package.

For too long, many criminals have been able to get away with these horrible acts with little more than a slap on the wrist. It is time that we sent them a message that Louisiana will no longer stand idle, and that they will be punished accordingly. We must continue to dramatically strengthen the laws against those who would hurt our children, especially through the Internet, and I look forward to continuing to work with the Legislature to this end.

I also signed two additional bills that will have an immediate impact. House Bill 544 permanently gives the Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) the flexibility to enter into design-build contracts, saving the state both time and money and giving drivers more miles of new roads. One example of how this works is with the widening of Interstate 12 from four lanes to six lanes from O’Neal Avenue in Baton Rouge eastward, allowing the state to build further than originally planned.

Second, Senate Bill 133 will require the Department of Agriculture to abide by the public bid law. This will ensure that taxpayer money is being used in the most efficient method possible and not to the whims of special interests. Increasing governmental transparency and accountability are paramount to building a new Louisiana, and this legislation is a positive step forward.

Continuing Hurricane Preparedness

This past week I visited Houma and with the Louisiana National Guard at Camp Beauregard in Pineville to spread the word about hurricane preparedness. As KALB TV reported, hurricane preparedness starts with each individual family creating a preparedness plan. As quoted in the Houma Courier, “the state has improved communications between law enforcement and other emergency responders, audited evacuation plans for hospitals and invested millions of dollars into plans to prepare the state for hurricane season.”

The Daily Advertiser said that “preparations at the state level appear to be strong,” and one reason is our National Guard. It was also great to visit with the members of our National Guard, and let them know how much we appreciate what they do for our country and for our state, be it overseas or within Louisiana. As I was quoted in the Shreveport Times, “As primary responders following a natural disaster, they are critical to the response following a disaster, as they show the courage and strength to run towards danger, not away from it. As I was standing before rows of Army vehicles and other equipment, I was quoted in the Shreveport Times as saying, “As important as this equipment is behind us, what’s more important than the equipment is the men and women trained to use this equipment who are ready at a moment’s notice to be deployed.”

I encourage you all once again to visit the state’s new preparedness website, www.GetaGameplan.org, and utilize the tips and information found there to ensure that your family is prepared this hurricane season.

Focusing on the New Louisiana

With Senator McCain’s visit to Louisiana last week, the spotlight was once again on Louisiana and many in the national press noted the progress that we have made toward a New Louisiana. The Wall Street Journal sums it up best — “In office, Gov. Jindal has pushed a nuts-and-bolts agenda. On his second day as governor, he began revamping regulations that had severely hampered the state’s recovery from Katrina. Then he pushed through one of the strictest ethics laws in the nation. Since then he has won approval for five tax breaks…and spent more than $800 million on crumbling levees and infrastructure.”

This type of article reiterates to others around the nation that Louisiana is open for business and is a great place for businesses to come and invest.

Heading to Rosenblatt

Congratulations to the LSU Tiger Baseball Team on winning the Super Regional and earning a spot in the College World Series. The victories by the team and the atmosphere created by the fans were a perfect sendoff for Alex Box Stadium. This year has been a remarkable and historic year for a team that worked hard, believed in their abilities and never gave up.

It is great for LSU to return back to their second home - Rosenblatt Stadium - to bring another national championship back to Louisiana. Geaux Tigers!

Sincerely,

Governor Bobby Jindal

Instilling Fiscal Discipline

For decades our state has looked for ways to spend your hard earned money - sometimes even before the state had received your money - to create new programs, increase funding for others and dedicate other monies to put a future burden on taxpayers. This is not fiscally responsible and is reminiscent of the old Louisiana mindset that has hampered reforms in the past.

As The Times-Picayune stated in an editorial this past weekend, this type of spending “has limited the state’s ability to trim the budget in tough times or to redirect money to new needs.” It also puts areas such as health care and higher education, where we have some of our state’s greatest needs - at risk of being cut. These are two areas that we must focus on to continue building a better Louisiana, and we cannot continue to see them punished by those seeking to spend funds just to spend.

This practice must end. That is why I will veto any legislation that directs or mandates new funding to new specific programs, because, as noted in the Monroe News-Star, “it is bad fiscal policy” and “such dedications take away budget flexibility.” Too often, politicians in years past have locked up our money on wasteful projects only to later threaten drastic budget cuts or tax increases when revenues fall short.

The Times-Picayune editorial concluded by saying that “Louisiana has gone overboard (with specific budget allotments) and further restrictions could end up hurting health care and higher education. Gov. Jindal is smart to try to prevent that.”

We must spend responsibly with the future in mind. Although state revenues have recently been high due to record oil prices and recovery-related income and expenditures, state economists expect those figures to decrease in coming years and leave our state with a projected budget deficit by 2010 if we do not act now.

By being fiscally responsible today, we can ensure that our state’s future is fiscally sound for our children.

Protecting Our Teachers

This past week the Legislature passed an important part of my legislative agenda, House Bill 757. This legislation will increase the penalties for committing assault or battery on a teacher, making our classrooms safer for everyone. HB 757 will quintuple the fine, from $1,000 to $5,000, for assaulting a teacher, and double the minimum jail time.

As the Lafayette Daily Advertiser wrote, “the potential for violence against teachers will be significantly reduced” by this legislation. It is time that we stood up against violence in the classroom, and ensured that our teachers are in a safe working environment. Louisiana loses hundreds of teachers each year, many of whom say the lack of discipline in the classroom was an important factor in their decision.

The classroom should be a safe haven for students and teachers alike, so that our educational system can fulfill its purpose of giving our future leaders the best chance possible to succeed. I am pleased that the Legislature has passed this important bill, and I look forward to signing it into law.

Preparing for Hurricane Season

With the start of hurricane season officially beginning yesterday, I have been travelling for the past few weeks bringing our “Get a Gameplan” hurricane preparedness campaign to cities throughout South Louisiana, including Baton Rouge, Lafayette, New Orleans, and Houma.

While we have worked hard to ensure that government is better prepared than 2005 to handle a disaster, it is important that citizens take personal responsibility by getting a gameplan. I have stressed to people that preparedness is the key to surviving a natural disaster, and that, as The Times-Picayune noted, “doing it now is much easier — and safer — than waiting until a storm is bearing down on us.”

The Times-Picayune editorial also encourages residents “to take advantage of” a storm-preparation web site, www.GetAGameplan.org, that the state has launched to aid residents with their storm preparations.

Recent surveys have found that a majority of residents do not have an emergency plan in place for their family if a hurricane were to strike. Preparation is key and there is no better time to get a gameplan than now. As New Orleans Saints General Manager and Executive Vice President Mickey Loomis said in the Baton Rouge Advocate, “the Saints never go into a season or game without preparing, and residents should adopt the same strategy when it comes to hurricane season.”

I would encourage you all to take a look at the site, and make certain that your family has its own plan ready. As a Times-Picayune editorial points out, the “Get a Game Plan” campaign is an “inventive way to get that (preparedness) message across” by utilizing LSU Coach Les Miles and Louisiana Band Better than Ezra in public service announcements that will soon start airing. While we all certainly hope this will be a quiet hurricane season, we still must be prepared.

Welcoming John McCain to Louisiana

Louisiana will again be on the national stage this week when Senator John McCain visits our state and this will be a good opportunity to show the nation once again that Louisiana is open for business and is a great place for businesses to come and invest. It is also a great chance for you to see Senator McCain in person and hear of his plans for our country.

Senator McCain will hold a rally at the Pontchartrain Center in New Orleans tonight  and a town hall meeting at the Baton Rouge River Center on Wednesday morning. Below are details of the events, as well as how to RSVP to attend. I hope to see you all there!

Today, Tuesday, June 3 - RSVP Here

Rally at the Ponchartrain Center

Doors open at 6:00 p.m., event begins at 7:30 p.m.

4545 Williams Blvd.

Kenner, LA 70065

Wednesday, June 4 — RSVP Here

Doors open at 8:30a.m., event begins at 10 a.m.

Baton Rouge Town Hall Meeting

Rooms 5-8, Baton Rouge River Center

275 South River Road

Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Sincerely,

Governor Bobby Jindal

Creating a Game Plan

Last Thursday I was joined by LSU football coach Les Miles and Kevin Griffin and Travis McNabb of the New Orleans-based rock group Better Than Ezra to kickoff this year’s hurricane preparedness efforts. We have launched a new website, www.getagameplan.org, to highlight many of the important tips regarding storm preparation and evacuation.

I will also be joined by the band and Coach Miles in a series of public service announcements to spread the word about preparedness, because, as I said in the Shreveport Times, the time to prepare for a hurricane is now, as it is too late once a hurricane is headed our way and an evacuation order is given.

I was also pleased to present Better Than Ezra with the first “Spirit of Louisiana” award, a thank you from the state for all of the hard work the band has done in raising funds to assist in recovery efforts. You may nominate an individual or organization for this award who you feel has personified the spirit of our state and has selflessly given their time and effort to Louisiana’s recovery efforts.  To nominate them, visit our official Governor’s website at www.gov.state.la.us/spirit.

Revamping our Workforce

I was proud to wrap up a series of commencement speeches at institutions across our state by speaking to LSU Law Graduates last week. Now is the time to give Louisiana a chance. We have already begun changing the reputation of our state, and there are many more important reforms yet to come.

One such reform being discussed by the Legislature is our plan to reform our state’s workforce development and training. We took a great first step recently when Louisiana’s Technical and Community Colleges implemented a Day One guarantee that will help show employers and employees alike that we are serious about the future of our state’s economy. As the Houma Courier said, the guarantee is “fantastic news for employers and employees alike.”

Without an efficient and well-trained workforce, we will continue to just be a state with vast economic potential. However, with the changes we are working to implement thousands of Louisiana workers will be able to provide a better life for their families right here in Louisiana. No longer will we continue to lose our best and brightest to Texas and Georgia.

Promoting Opportunities in Louisiana

Supriya and I were honored to join Presidential candidate John McCain and his wife, among other public officials and business leaders from across the nation, in Arizona this past weekend. This presented a great opportunity for me to continue working with Senator McCain to ensure that Louisiana receives the federal aid we need as we continue to rebuild from the storms of 2005, and to further show colleagues around the country that Louisiana is open for business.

As I said in both the Baton Rouge Advocate and New Orleans Times-Picayune, I have the job I want, and I love being governor of the state of Louisiana. I am confident that the Senator will continue to help our state when he is elected President this fall, and Supriya and I came away from the weekend with a great feeling for the future of our state.

Honoring our Veterans

I hope that you had a great Memorial Day weekend, and that you took a moment to reflect on everything our nation’s veterans and active service members have done for our country. While to some it may seem that Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer and barbeques, it has a deeper meaning, one that makes it truly one of the most important days of the year. So many have given the ultimate sacrifice and have served our nation with honor and respect - it is only fitting that we treat them with the same respect.

Sincerely,

Governor Bobby Jindal