Congressman Melancon Makes Local Pitch for Re-election

I am running for re-election because we still have a lot of work to do to help our state recover. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about Hurricane Katrina and the devastation that it wrought on St. Bernard Parish. I have fought for hurricane victims EVERY DAY since Katrina and Rita hit.

When the federal government was not there to help, I took matters into my own hands. I helped organize a private relief effort that brought food and supplies to people in need before any other federal officials were on the ground. Since those days immediately after Katrina, I have worked in Congress to bring relief money to St. Bernard Parish.

I have secured grants for the Parish that have helped schools get back on their feet and allowed Parish government to perform their regular duties. When FEMA was not delivering on its promises, I helped people cut through the red tape. Throughout everything I’ve done, I have made sure that no one in Washington will ever be able to erase the storms from their memories.

During my first term, I was instrumental in passing offshore oil revenue sharing legislation in Congress. When Congress returns in a couple of weeks, I will work with Republicans and Democrats to pass a joint House and Senate bill that will give Louisiana our fair share of oil and gas revenues. This legislation will give us the funds we need to start coastal restoration projects, ensuring that disasters like Katrina and Rita never happen again.

I have secured funds to protect St. Bernard Parish from future storms. The Corps has stopped dredging the MR-GO, and I was successful in securing funds for a study that will analyze how to close the MR-GO. I was also able to get $75 million for restoring the barrier islands on the eastern coast of St. Bernard.

Currently, I am working on a comprehensive national disaster insurance package that will standardize how insurance companies address natural disasters. There is no reason that these big, national insurance companies can post huge profits at the same time that they are doubling and tripling our insurance rates.

During the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, I brought 25 Members of Congress to the Gulf Coast so they can see the destruction first hand. Many had never been to the area, and they all paid for the trip on their own dime. These Members of Congress met with local officials representing education, health care, fishing and shrimping, local law enforcement, and small business to understand what needed to be done for a full recovery. The recommendations made by the Katrina Task Force based on these meetings will be on top of our agenda for the 110th Congress.

On the last day of their visit, we went to Chalmette High School and met with students, teachers, and parents for a memorial service. When the children told us they were from “Chalmette, AMERICA,” there was not a dry eye in the audience. The ability that children have to put things into perspective is simply amazing.

Chalmette and St. Bernard ARE America. People in this Parish are honest, hard-working, and self-sufficient, and they are the embodiment of the American spirit. Your willingness to return and rebuild your lives in the face of such adversity is a lesson in determination that everyone in this country should take to heart. It is your commitment to your Parish that keeps me fighting for you in Washington.

I am glad to have the support of many elected officials in St. Bernard Parish. Parish President Junior Rodriguez and Sheriff Jack Stephens have proudly endorsed my campaign. Five members of the Parish Council have also endorsed me, as well as State Representative Kenneth Odinet, Sr.

I hope to have your support so I can represent St. Bernard Parish for another term. It has been my honor to serve the Parish through one of its most difficult periods. My office has a motto: if we can help at least one person during the course of the day, then it has been a good day. I look forward to many more good days in St. Bernard Parish.