Here’s a headline for you: Republicans and Democrats in Congress worked together to pass a major bipartisan piece of legislation that greatly benefits Louisiana and President Obama supported the effort.
Yes, you read that right.
I’m talking about the transportation-funding bill that will return $1.02 for every tax dollar Louisiana contributes. It’s a major jump that should help stabilize infrastructure budgets for state roads and highways.
The bill also included the RESTORE Act provision, which will dedicate 80 percent of the fines BP must pay under the Clean Water Act to be set aside for Gulf Coast states rather than just going into a general fund.
And it also included a stable, five-year extension of the flood insurance program, which is welcome news for homeowners and the housing market.
As the only member of the Louisiana delegation participating in the final negotiations, I was really pleased to see the entire Louisiana delegation vote to support this overall great bill that has now become law.
So even though political activists and many of my colleagues in Congress do the best they can to make Washington dysfunction the norm, remember that we still can get together and find common ground to support substantive policies like these.
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