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Goodness! This is another VERY long email with information on the Louisiana legislative session that just ended and hot topics in general. Take a break and get started.
Reminder: I will be on your ballot in October for re-election to the Louisiana House of Representatives. All other legislators and statewide offices will also be on your ballot.
I've worked hard for this District, City, and State, and have much to show for it. For four years, I have represented this district that I call home, and I'm looking forward to four, or maybe eight, more years of serving my home state of Louisiana.
Like my successful 2019 House campaign, my 2023 campaign relies heavily on volunteers and canvassers. We spend money carefully and creatively.
Thank you for your loyal support - this has been the opportunity of a lifetime.
Mandie
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MY 2023 LEGISLATION: KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK | |
Can’t wait to impress upon the governor how great my bills are :) | |
This year I passed several important pieces of legislation with the strong help of both Democrats and Republicans, as well as the signature of Governor Edwards. Let's do some math: there are 105 representatives, so you need 53 votes to pass a bill. There are only 33 Democrats. Passing a bill as a member of the minority caucus is hard. Next month I'll be at the Capitol to see my bills get signed by Governor Edwards in person. | |
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(1) Bipartisan gun safety legislation: This is a HUGE feat for a legislator in any red state - but especially in Louisiana, which came close yet again to passing concealed carry. HB 247 is one step towards stronger, bipartisan gun safety; it encourages people, through a tax credit, to buy gun safes & storage devices, to prevent child deaths & gun thefts. The firearm industry reported on the bill approvingly, & the Times-Picayune wrote a very impressed editorial, writing:
“Bipartisan understates the support Landry’s bill generated. It passed both the House and Senate unanimously. We applaud Landry, an indefatigable liberal, for finding a way to rally her conservative colleagues behind a sensible gun safety measure."
I'll add "indefatigable liberal" to Mail-in Mandie, Facebook Barbie, Abortion Barbie (so uncreative), & Louisiana AOC. :) This bill shows that it's possible to pass substantive bipartisan legislation while holding on to progressive values.
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You know something is cool when the crotchety TP editorial board approves | |
Front page of all three state Advocates. Thanks CRCL for trusting me with your bill | |
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(4) Funding for the City: I secured funding this year for a $9m Hollygrove drainage project, $270,000 for Metropolitan Human Services in Central City, $200,000 for the Roots of Music youth program, and another $800,000 for city programs that focus on juvenile justice and parental education. Since I've been elected as a member of the Orleans Delegation, I've been an integral part of securing funding for the City, including over $70 million for the SWB, $20 million for OPCD expansion, $4 million for LSUHSC, over $70m for the Port, $20m for the Claiborne Corridor Rehabilitation, and many other city and state projects.
I also continued to push and educate my colleagues on issues important to me and my district, including statewide ballot initiatives and medical marijuana. The women of this state suffered a really sad defeat when I tried and failed to make it clear in Louisiana law that we won't prosecute women who have an abortion (video in link). It has been a tough year post-Roe for women in Louisiana. I also fought for and defended reproductive and LGBT rights from hatred, repeatedly; we are hopeful that the governor will keep his word and veto these hateful bills. After all - we saw a rainbow in the sky on the last day of session!
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Last day of Session rainbow in Baton Rouge | |
Weird award statues from the Family Forum; shockingly, I did not get one lol | |
LEGISLATIVE SESSION AND RELATED | |
Abortion: I attended an invitation-only meeting at the White House a few weeks ago for reproductive rights legislators in hostile states. Louisiana had one of the saddest stories, but it was promising to be around so many others who fight hard for our rights, with wins sometimes! The anniversary of Roe reminded us of how hard life has become for so many women. If you know someone in need of care in Louisiana, they can check out Abortion Finder for more information. | |
Meeting other southern legislators, including Gloria Johnson of the Tennessee Three | |
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Redistricting: The Supreme Court held that Louisiana's proposed Congressional map violates federal law and is sending it back down for a redraw. We are not sure if the judge will redraw the map or if the legislature will convene a special session.
Hurricane season: Get a game plan as soon as possible. With record temperatures and an insane 120 degree heat index today (Beau has refused his walks), it's looking like it might be a busy hurricane season. (Matt, how many sandbags did we fill in 2020? One million or two?) The prospect of losing electricity and air conditioning like we did in 2021 with Hurricane Ida is devastating. So many of our residents are poor and cannot afford to evacuate; those of us who remain sweat (and sweat and sweat and sweat) and serve our city as best as we can. I was able to tell the world what was happening on the ground here in Louisiana after Ida: "We're all sitting here in the dark, just hoping for the best tomorrow."
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Just one of six (?) times we distributed sandbags in 2020 | |
Speaking with CNN from New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida | |
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Property insurance: Rapidly rising property insurance rates are fast becoming one of the most dire issues in the state. Rep. Matt Willard scored a major win with his bill requiring companies to give real discounts for hurricane-proof fortified roofs, and the legislature provided an initial investment of $30 million dollars for a fortified roof program. The vast majority of insurance claims down here are for roof damage; lowering the amount of these claims would reduce premiums overall, and installing a fortified roof (which could withstand a Category 4 hurricane) would reduce your own premium. Democrats were also instrumental in defeating several harmful anti-consumer insurance bills - read more from Real Reform Louisiana.
Here is my sobering opinion on property insurance: only federal help can stem this crisis, as I've noted repeatedly. Cascading insurance company bankruptcies and the increased amount and strength of storms are causing a crisis that our state simply will not be able to cover financially. The country needs a new insurance program similar to flood insurance, or we won't make it. This is a complicated, expensive problem; if someone tells you that they know how to solve it, they're delusional. I said as much to national news outlet NBC last year: “I don’t see how the private sector stays in a lot of these places, and they may not be able to afford to if we have a couple more big storms...if the federal government wants to be responsible for residents who live here, they need to step in and help us out.” We live here, too.
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Juvie and Mannie Fresh are now memorialized at the Howard Theater in DC | |
I invited Juvenile to the Capitol to present him with a resolution from the State commending him for his gifts to Louisiana and the world. Coincidentally, the week after his Capitol visit, we were in DC the same time as him, and were able to attend his show at the Howard Theater. | |
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Carbon capture - a new and potentially harmful "carbon storage" technology" is coming to Louisiana, and fast. While I am still ambivalent on the technology, I and others are extremely distrustful of the process and pace in which it is moving in Louisiana. (And the dozens of lobbyists that they hired for the past legislative session - nothing to see here, right.) It's not surprising that people in this state, especially in Cancer Alley, are distrustful of a new technology being pushed by the same energy companies that lied to them, and polluted and harmed this state for most of a century.
The speed of this process is truly so disrespectful to the people of this state: "Donaldsonville environmental activists like Gaignard say they oppose such carbon capture projects largely because of the communities' already elevated cancer rates and the existing petrochemical plants, which are in close proximity to Black churches and schools. The industrial corridor near New Orleans, which is home to the world’s largest ammonia plant and is the state's largest greenhouse gas emitter, is commonly called "Cancer Alley" because of the troubling cancer rates locally."
Budget: The big money bills (detailed list in that link) were passed in a rush at the end of session that erupted into chaos. We had a strange problem this year in Louisiana: too much money. We allocated over $450 million for roads and bridges, $50 million for water and sewer system upgrades, $30 million for the Fortify Homes Program for hurricane-proof roofs, $40 million dollars for early childhood education, and stipends for teachers and support staff that will hopefully become permanent raises.
VOTE - one of our advocacy groups - has created a leadership institute for people who may want to run for office or work on a campaign.
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If you're looking for a way to get more involved in your community and maybe do some service work, check out the local DSA, VOTE, Moms Demand Action, the Louisiana ACLU, or Lift Louisiana.
I am always happy to speak to neighborhood associations, school groups, advocacy groups, or the like.
You can keep up with what I've been doing in the news, and I'm also very active on both Twitter and Instagram.
Thank you always for your support.
Representative Mandie Landry
Louisiana House
District 91 - New Orleans
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Sunday afternoon a second line passed by my House and a couple weeks ago I rode in the pride parade....what a city! | | |
Representative Mandie Landry | Website | |
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