I am glad you are taking the time to come to my website so that I can keep you informed about the many things going on around the state capital that affect District 68. It would be an understatement to say this is a busy time of year for me, as your Representative. The 2009 legislative session is approaching soon, and there is a great deal of preparation to be done as we face a very difficult session.
We do not have enough money in the state treasury to deal with all problems that are facing us here in Baton Rouge. I am hopeful that funding from Washington DC, particularly for our highway needs, will help alleviate some of the financial burdens that we have to deal with. With that in mind, and because I serve as the chairman of the Capital Region Legislative Delegation, I headed up a group of legislators who traveled to Washington DC recently. I really feel that trip was a productive one.
As you can see from the picture below, we met with a number of members of our congressional delegation to tell them of the priorities and the many needs facing us here in Baton Rouge. We discussed road priorities, additional help for our educational facilities with particular emphasis on a joint venture between LSU and Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Research Facility. I think we made some progress, and made a strong case for the solid return we will hope to receive if federal funding is made available. We also talked to members of Congress about tax relief for our citizens. After all the recent hurricane activity, we are seeing rapidly escalating insurance rates, and many businesses that are really struggling. I am hopeful that our congressional delegation will be responsive.
As many of your know, education has always been a top priority for me. I have spent a great deal of time throughout our community discussing what we can do to increase the overall quality of education our kids receive. With that in mind, I thought it was necessary to get out and actually see the schools and be there to talk to principals and teachers alike. In the last few weeks, I have visited educators at Crestwood Middle School, Dalton Elementary School, Capitol Elementary School, Claiborne Elementary School, Istrouma High School, and Kenilworth Middle School. You can really learn a lot by sitting down and listening. If you listen to educators and get a dialogue going, I’m convinced there’s a number of ways we can improve our overall test scores and general quality of education.
I hope you will share my website with a number of your friends throughout my district. So please forward names and addresses to me.
I am always available to answer your questions, hear your concerns, and give you the information that I might have. My legislative office is open each day. I’m located at 3115 Old Forge Drive. Feel free to call us at (225) 362-5305 or email us at CARTERS@LEGIS.STATE.LA.US and I look forward to visiting with you!
Capital Region Legislative Delegation meeting with the Louisiana Congressional Delegation (Pictured L to R: Rep. Karen St. Germain, Congressman Rodney Alexander, US Senator David Vitter, Rep. Franklin Foil, Congressman Charlie Melancon, Rep. Erich Ponti, Chairman Steve Carter, Vice Chairman Neil Riser, Congressman Bill Cassidy, Sen. Dale Erdey
