Gov. Jindal
Jindal’s State of the State address to focus on economy, jobs
Gov. Jindal will deliver his State of the State address on September 7 at the Monroe Civic Center. He plans to speak about job generation, economic development, as well as other topics. Full Article.
Local groups oppose the privatization of Group Benefits services
Officials representing retired and current teacher organizations oppose Gov. Bobby Jindal's push to privatize the Office of Group Benefits services. A recent report by New Orleans-based Chaffe and Associates Inc. concluded that premiums would increase under privatization. Full article.
Gov. Jindal signs Angel Investor Tax Credit Bill
Gov. Bobby Jindal recently signed House Bill 597 into law, restarting the Angel Investor Tax Credit program. The tax credit spurred the investment of $62 million in early-stage Louisiana companies from 2005 through 2009 and attracted more than 250 investors who helped 57 companies fund their operations. Full article.
TOPS scholarship program gets boost from Gov. Jindal
Gov. Bobby Jindal recently announced he will ask state lawmakers to agree to pump more money into the state-funded TOPS scholarship program. The plan would increase funding for the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, a merit-based scholarship. Full article.
LA reverses health-care cuts
The Jindal administration is backing off budget cuts that would have affected hospitals providing care for Louisiana’s most critically ill babies. Gov. Bobby Jindal announced the reversal of the cuts on Jan 3 after meeting with hospital officials in the State Capitol. Jindal said the state would use $3.5 million in federal funds that came as a bonus for enrolling high numbers of children in a special Medicaid program to offset the proposed cut. Full article.
Debate lags over state employee cuts
Cutting government costs involves shrinking LA's government work force, but two years of debate have yet to yield any agreement among state officials about how best to eliminate jobs as the budget problems worsen.Gov. Jindal's administration preferred an approach that involves hiring freezes and eliminating vacant positions. Full article.
Jindal travels to promote book
On the road to promote his new book, Gov. Bobby Jindal reiterated that he is not interested in running for president in 2012. He was, however, less emphatic in a telephone interview about whether he would spurn a chance at the vice presidency. Jindal is on the road for 10 days, partly to promote his new book, which heavily focuses on national issues. Full article.
Folgers begins multi-facility expansion in greater New Orleans
Gov. Bobby Jindal joined the J.M. Smucker Co. for the official groundbreaking of Folgers' expansion of two existing coffee production facilities in Orleans Parish and its distribution center in St. Tammany Parish. Folgers announced the expansion in March 2010, which will retain 450 existing jobs, create 120 new, direct jobs at an average annual salary of $42,000, plus benefits, and represent a capital investment of $69 million. Full article.
Feds seek La. answer on berms
Federal regulators asked the Jindal administration to tell them within the next seven days whether the state plans to continue seeking permits to build sand bar “berms” to block oil from the Gulf. Jindal is seeking a regular permit for construction of six berm segments begun in May and also applied for permission to build 13 other berms for a total of about 100 miles. Full Article.
Jindal: Infrastructure improvements give Cenla a boost
Gov. Jindal recently spoke to the Grant Parish Chamber of Commerce and indicated that investments in infrastructure are paying off in Central Louisiana and throughout the state. Jindal noted that since he took office in January 2008, he led investments totaling more than $3.5 billion in state and federal funds in transportation and road projects, which is more than the past three governors combined during the same period of time. Full Article.
