[StBernard] Providing insurance relief to Louisiana residents

[Westley Annis]

Dear friends,

Providing insurance relief to Louisiana residents

Earlier this week, I testified before the House Financial Services
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations regarding the current insurance
crisis in our state. 

I told my colleagues on the committee that it is critical that they
understand the situation that we face every day in Louisiana. Too many
residents are unable to find any insurance coverage, and residents
throughout the state have faced dramatic increases in their premiums. 

We must ensure that the residents of our state have access to reasonably
priced insurance, and are not forced to live uninsured due to insurance
companies drastically raising their rates. Some of the residents in St.
Martin Parish whose homes were destroyed by a tornado last month had
recently dropped their insurance on their homes due to the rising insurance
costs after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. As reported in one local paper, a
90-year-old widow on a fixed income and who owned her home outright was
faced with just that dilemma - pay for food, medicine and other needs or use
that money to pay her increasing insurance premiums. She chose the former
and now must rebuild her home after it was destroyed by the tornado without
the help of insurance. That is absolutely unacceptable, and something has to
change.

Last month, I introduced two bills with my colleagues in Congress that will
help drive insurance prices down, and I am pleased that the House committee
with jurisdiction over this issue started seriously examining insurance
practices all along the Gulf Coast. I will continue to push my colleagues to
pass these bills to help provide relief to Louisiana residents.

Get the new bumper sticker for your vehicle!

One of the easiest ways to show your support for our campaign this year is
to put a bumper sticker on your vehicle. Thousands of people have already
received a bumper sticker so that they can show their dedication to electing
new leadership for our state. I hope you will show your support for our
campaign for Governor by clicking here to request a bumper sticker for your
vehicle! 

<http://www.bobbyjindal.com/volunteer.php> 

Additionally, I was excited to learn this week that the Calcasieu Parish
Republican Executive Committee has endorsed our campaign for governor. I am
honored to have support from all across Louisiana!

Protecting U.S. Investments

You may remember the controversy last year when a foreign-owned company in
Dubai attempted to purchase a number of American ports, including the Port
of New Orleans. I was a vocal opponent of this purchase that would have
allowed a country with a mixed track record in the War on Terror controlling
multiple ports in our country.

To address this issue, I voted in support of an important bill in the House
of Representatives this week that will strengthen security measures when a
foreign firm attempts to purchase an American-owned business. It is
important that our country takes every precaution when dealing with the
security of our nation. We cannot sell the safety of our country to the
highest bidder.

The National Security Foreign Investment Reform and Strengthened
Transparency Act that passed this week will require the Committee on Foreign
Investment in the United States to review any merger, acquisition, or
takeover which could result in foreign control of any person engaged in
interstate commerce in the United States. I strongly supported this
legislation and will keep working to ensure that the security of our nation
is not threatened. 

Thanking Louisiana heroes

When a natural disaster devastates a town, whether it is a tornado in
Central Louisiana or Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastating South
Louisiana, faith-based groups are always there to lend their support, often
times faster than the government. Faith-based groups do not often get public
credit or attention, but they truly do work that helps so many people each
and every day. 

This weekend, I had a chance to honor some volunteers with the faith-based
Salvation Army organization based in Alexandria. I was honored to applaud
their efforts and the efforts of other faith-based groups that help so many
people every day. To read more about my support for faith-based
organizations, click here.
<http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070224/NEWS01/70224
0340/1002> 

Have a wonderful weekend, and feel free to contact my office if we can be of
any assistance to you! 

-Bobby