Our country’s infrastructure has long been neglected and Louisiana’s ranks as one of the worst states for infrastructure.  As a candidate for state representative four years ago, I pledged to prioritize our transportation and infrastructure needs and help secure badly needed capacity projects for the area as well as reorganize the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (“DOTD”).  The recent tragedy in Minneapolis displayed just how important it is to maintain our infrastructure.     

Our area does not receive the highway dollars that it sends to Washington.  Not only does the federal government take a cut of 10% but according to the retail sales estimate compiled by the LSU Center for Energy Studies, the parishes in our area receive very little that we send up on both a state and a federal level.  In order to insure an adequate infrastructure for our area we need to receive back a fair share of the taxes we pay.  I have spent much of my time in the legislature working on transportation issues and the delicate interplay between federal, state and local funding.  In Congress, I will prioritize transportation funding and infrastructure improvements for the district.    

ACCOMPLISHMENTS :

• Oversaw effort to totally reorganize DOTD by refusing to authorize recreation under Sunset law until agency could demonstrate major cost cutting and operating efficiencies.
  
  
• Significant highway capacity dollars are finally being spent in my district with $600 million being spent in the 2007 Legislative Session. 
  
  
• Additional Transportation Funding (without raising taxes).  With a $14 billion backlog in state capacity projects, we are not going to be able to solve our or the state’s transportation problems without additional state commitment to funding.  One of the huge disappointments of the 2007 “Embarrassment of Riches” session was the defeat of HB 722 which I co-authored and was closely involved with, which would have dedicated part of the vehicle sales tax back to the parish generated for transportation improvements instead of being squandered in the general fund.  The bill was partially based on my previous legislation to retain a portion of the motor fuel taxes in the parish generated.  Although HB 722 passed the House unanimously it was defeated in the Senate. However, this legislation will be considered next year.

An important project for the area is Highway 3241 (I-12 to Bush Corridor) is currently stalled in the federal bureaucracy and the legislative delegation is working diligently with federal officials to keep this project moving along.  This major highway would provide another north/south corridor on the Northshore and alleviate much of the congestion off of the other routes such as Highway 190 and Highway 59.  Highway 3241 is part of the TIMED (Transportation Infrastructure Model for Economic Development) Program, created in 1989 by the Louisiana Legislature and approved by the voters.  It is particularly frustrating that funds are available for the project, but it continues to be mired in federal red tape.

At a recent meeting with local leaders, Mary Peters, the Secretary of the US Department of Transportation stated her intention on helping the area with its projects.  She stated that she would be able to help break the bureaucratic impasse with I-12.  However, I was later contacted by her department and told that since there was no federal money involved there was nothing that the US Department of Transportation could do.