WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Appropriations Committee, announced today that President Donald Trump signed H.R. 6157, the Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act and Continuing Appropriations Act, into law on Friday. This legislation contains four amendments authored by Sen. Kennedy, including a historic 66% increase in funding for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
“It is absolutely tragic that suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States. Resources like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provide help and hope to those who don’t know where else to turn during a dark time,” said Sen. Kennedy. “In Louisiana alone, the suicide rate has risen by 29% from 1999 to 2016. I am very proud to lead this effort, and I will continue do what I can to uplift and support those who rely on this lifeline for help.”
In addition to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline funding, Sen. Kennedy authored three more amendments that were signed into law:
- S. Amdt. 3881, which reduces fraud and waste in the Department of Labor by implementing a plan to reduce improper payments.
- S. Amdt. 3880, which prohibits awarding federal contracts to companies that have unpaid federal taxes.
- S. Amdt. 3727, which bans using taxpayer dollars for monetary assistance to Iran.
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Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) Announces $6.4 Million Grant for New Orleans Buses and Bus Infrastructure
Sep 26 2018
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Members of U.S. Sen. John Kennedy’s (R-La.) staff will host an informational meeting Saturday in Mandeville for prospective applicants to the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy or the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
The event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday in the Mandeville High School auditorium, 1 Skipper Drive, in Mandeville. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.
It is absolutely free to attend Academy Day. Family members can accompany prospective applicants to the event.
“I’m honored that so many people want to serve our great country. They make Louisiana proud,” said Sen. Kennedy. “Academy Day is an opportunity to find out more about attending the finest academies in the U.S. You can ask 150 questions if you want.”
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Sen. Kennedy (R-La.) To Congress: Stop Playing Games With The National Flood Insurance Program
Sep 24 2018
“Congress needs to stop playing games; we need to reform the National Flood Insurance Program immediately”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) asked Congress to finally get down to the business of creating a National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) that middle-class families can afford. Sen. Kennedy previously introduced comprehensive, bipartisan legislation to reform the NFIP.
Click here or the photo below to watch Sen. Kennedy’s full remarks:
Affordable Flood Insurance: “Weathering a hurricane is difficult enough without the added burden of trying to do it without insurance. And a National Flood Insurance Program isn’t doing its job if it’s so expensive people can’t afford to buy it. Unfortunately, that’s precisely what has happened in North and South Carolina.”
What Gives?: “Why don’t people have flood insurance? Because the costs are out of control and middle-class families have little choice but to just roll the dice. Because Congress keeps playing games and people don’t have faith that the NFIP will be around to pay off. Because one or two members of Congress want to get a soundbite more than they want to help ordinary Americans protect their property. And if those members want to reform the program because they want to save the government money, they’re going about it the wrong way.”
What It’s All About: “Recovering from a natural disaster is about more than putting up drywall: It’s about our communities coming back safer, stronger and better prepared. The NFIP is an indispensable part of that effort to rebuild. But a flood insurance program isn’t useful if it’s too complicated to understand, or if it allows bad actors to take from hardworking families. We need rules that make sense, government websites that a normal person can navigate, quicker decisions by bureaucrats and a faster process to get disaster dollars to the folks who need them. Most importantly, though, people need to be able to afford buy a policy in the first place.”
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Members of U.S. Sen. John Kennedy’s (R-La.) staff will host an informational meeting Saturday in Bossier City for prospective applicants to the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy or the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
The event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Bossier Parish Community College’s BPCC Theatre – Building C, 6220 East Texas St., in Bossier City. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.
It is absolutely free to attend Academy Day. Family members can accompany prospective applicants to the event.
“I’m honored that so many people want to serve our great country. They make Louisiana proud,” said Sen. Kennedy. “Academy Day is an opportunity to find out more about attending the finest academies in the U.S. You can ask 150 questions if you want.”
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Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) Announces $15.6 Million Grant for the Livingston Parish School Board
Sep 21 2018
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Appropriations Committee, announced that FEMA awarded a $15,694,059 grant to the Livingston Parish School Board to fund repairs to nine academic buildings and facilities at Southside Junior High School.
“The 2016 flooding is still impacting the daily lives of so many people in south Louisiana,” said Sen. Kennedy. “Grants like this from FEMA will help us rebuild, and it will allow students to get back into permanent classrooms and brand new school facilities.”
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Louisiana artists Trace Adkins, Jordan Davis and Kenny Wayne Shepherd applauded the passage of U.S. Sen. John Kennedy’s (R-La.) legislation that fixes a loophole in federal copyright laws for sound recordings made before Feb. 15, 1972.
The Compensating Legacy Artists for their Songs, Service, and Important Contributions to Society Act, also known as the CLASSICS Act, will help close a flawed loophole that leaves some of our most cherished artists out of the federal copyright system.
Currently, federal copyright law does not adequately protect all sound recordings. This has resulted in confusion, litigation and an unfair playing field for iconic artists in Louisiana and across the U.S. The CLASSICS Act would acknowledge these artists’ contributions by compensating them when digital radio services use their recordings. The act would bring federal law up to speed with the modern age of music platforms.
“Artists who made music, and performed, before February 15, 1972, continue to play a significant role in our country’s culture,” said Sen. Kennedy. “My generation grew up listening to these artists’ work, and generations of musicians have been inspired by their talent. I am proud that the CLASSICS Act passed with broad bipartisan support. These talented musicians deserve recognition and compensation for their immeasurable contributions.”
“This is a momentous day for recording artists and songwriters and makes the laws much fairer for all of us, including the classic artists who have influenced those of us working today, as well as new songwriters and artists who deserve a future. We appreciate the work of the Senators who helped get this bill passed unanimously in the Senate,” said Sarepta native Trace Adkins.
“Passage of this legislation will make a real difference in the lives of songwriters and recording artists,” said Shreveport native Jordan Davis. “It creates a more fair environment for music creators who have been struggling under outdated laws for the digital era. We are thankful to all of the Senators and members of Congress who have listened to our struggles over the past few years and championed our cause. The unanimous passage of this bill in the Senate shows what the unifying power of music can do!”
“As a recording artist for the last 25 years, I feel strongly that all Artists should be fairly compensated regardless of the year of their copyrights. Revenue from all digital audio transmissions should be paid to artists and not exclude those who wrote the music before 1972 that built the foundation of rock and roll,” said Shreveport native Kenny Wayne Shepherd.
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Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) Warns Against Threatening Louisiana Energy Jobs With Tariff On Barite
Sep 19 2018
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) and several of his Senate colleagues warned that a proposed tariff on Chinese barite would devastate Louisiana’s energy production industry and threaten jobs. Sens. Kennedy, Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.) Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Doug Jones (D-Ala.) asked Ambassador Lighthizer to leave barite off any tariff list.
Barite is a mineral that is used by the oil and gas industry to reduce the likelihood of blowouts during the drilling of wells in the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. imports 69% of the barite it uses from China.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we have seen a massive boom in our energy production in the United States,” said Sen. Kennedy. “However, a tariff on barite could inadvertently cripple our oil and gas industry. Less exploration and production in the Gulf of Mexico would mean fewer jobs. That wouldn’t be good for anyone, especially Louisiana.”
September 17, 2018
Ambassador Robert E. Lighthizer
U.S. Trade Representative
Office of the United States Trade Representative
600 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006
Dear Ambassador Lighthizer:
It has been brought to our attention by American energy producers that your office is considering placing tariffs on several vital safety components to American energy production currently imported from China: unground barite, ground barite, and barium sulfate. We write to urge you to remove barite from the list of proposed tariffs because it is critical to our nation’s energy security.
Barite is a naturally occurring, heavy mineral that is used in drilling fluids to counteract the extreme pressures of oil and gas formations below the earth. Drilling fluids are vital to the safe drilling of oil and gas wells because they reduce the likelihood of well “blowouts”. There is no economical existing alternative or substitute for barite in the drilling process and it is designated a “critical mineral” by the Secretary of the Interior.
The U.S. produces nearly 330,000 tons of barite annually yet consumes nearly 2.4 million tons. U.S. barite mines are substantially depleted and inadequate to support American energy production. U.S. oil and gas service companies have undertaken extensive exploration efforts to locate new reserves in the U.S. over the years with little success. Our country imports 2 million tons of barite annually and of that, approximately half comes from China.
A barite tariff will not help to change China’s unfair trade practices. In fact, it will effectively shift the balance of trade even more in China’s favor because American energy producers will have no choice but to continue importing Chinese barite due to the lack of alternate quality sources domestically or internationally.
This will raise the cost of domestic energy production. Such increased costs will be passed to the U.S. consumer and make our energy exports less price competitive in energy export markets. In addition, because domestic barite mining is limited to mines in Nevada, oil and gas exploration companies in the Gulf of Mexico, Appalachia, and other areas outside the American West will disproportionately bear the cost of a barite tariff.
We are grateful for your consideration. Thank you for your service to America.
Sincerely,
_____________________
John Kennedy
United States Senator
_______________________
Bill Cassidy, M.D.
United States Senator
______________________
Shelley Moore Capito
United States Senator
_______________________
Joe Manchin III
United States Senator
_______________________
Doug Jones
United States Senator
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Dick Durbin’s (D-Ill.) bill, the Opioid Quota Reform Act of 2018, passed the U.S. Senate today as a part of the Senate Amendment to H.R. 6, The Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018, a package of opioid related bills. The package represents the work of over 70 senators and proposals from five committees including Judiciary, Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), Finance, Commerce and Banking. Sens. Kennedy and Durbin introduced the Opioid Quota Reform Act of 2018 in March of this year.
This bipartisan legislation will enhance the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) existing opioid quota-setting authority by improving transparency and enabling the DEA to adjust quotas to prevent opioid diversion and abuse. The bill is a balance between ensuring that patients who legitimately need pain management drugs can get them while sharpening the DEA’s ability to fight opioid abuse. The rate of opioid-related overdose deaths is increasing in Louisiana.
“Our nation’s opioid crisis has reached an unprecedented level,” said Sen. Kennedy. “Addiction reaches every household regardless of age, race or socio-economic background. While I am proud that my bill has passed the Senate, I am more proud that the Senate was able to come together in an overwhelmingly bipartisan manner to pass this important legislation. Our legislative package fights the opioid epidemic by helping to reduce the use and supply of opioids, encouraging recovery, supporting caregivers and families and finding long term solutions to the opioid epidemic.”
Highlights from the bill package include:
- Including the STOP Act to make it more difficult to mail illegal opioids into the U.S. from other countries through the U.S. Postal Service.
- Ensuring that states share data from the Prescription Drug Monitoring programs.
- Giving addicts the help they need to recover through opioid recovery centers, medication-assisted treatment and housing services.
- Helping families through treatment that focuses on the family as a whole instead of just on the individual.
- Developing new non-addictive painkillers.
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Finish line is in sight for Barksdale’s new gate
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) announced today that the Senate sent President Trump a package of appropriations bills that finally puts Louisiana in line to finish the entrance road and gate complex at Barksdale Air Force Base and construct a new alert facility at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Belle Chasse.
“The finish line is in sight for adding a new gate at Barksdale. At times, it’s seemed like a 500-mile race to get it done. Not only do military families need a new gate for convenience, but the importance of the missions at Barksdale make it necessary,” said Sen. Kennedy. “From Bossier City to Belle Chasse, Louisiana’s military bases are critical to the defense of our entire nation, and we’re investing in them.”
The Fiscal Year 2019 funding bills for energy and water, military construction and the VA and the legislative branch include $147 billion for construction projects on military bases, the improvement of veterans’ health care and the reduction of flood damage, among other critical priorities.
Other notable inclusions that Sen. Kennedy helped secure are:
- An increased focus on reducing wait times at veterans’ clinics and facilities. In Louisiana, wait times at VA clinics are as high as 45 days.
- $4 million to continue the U.S.-Israel Center of Excellence in Engineering and Water Technology.
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