Economic Growth
The Transportation Bill
In June 2012, Sen. Landrieu strongly supported the two-year transportation bill, which provides Louisiana $731 million in fiscal year 2012 and $744 million in fiscal year 2013 to repair our roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure. This legislation will jumpstart 420 projects in our state and put our engineers and construction workers back on the job building our highways, maintaining our roads, and operating our mass transit. This legislation is expected to preserve approximately 26,700 construction jobs in Louisiana.
Louisiana Funding Included in Transportation Bill:
• $51.82 million in FY 2012 and $57.9 million in FY2013 in Transit Funding
• $679.8 million in FY 2012 and $685.6 million in FY2013 in Highway Funding
• Will preserve approximately 26,700 construction jobs in Louisiana
• Green-lights approximately 420 projects throughout the state
• Gives local governments more flexibility on how they spend Smart Growth-type projects
Payroll Tax Cut
In February 2012, Sen. Landrieu voted in favor of an extension of the Social Security payroll tax cut through the end of the year. This ensures that 2.1 million Louisiana workers continue to have about an extra $117 in their pockets each month and also gives small business employers much needed clarity on this issue, so they can spend more time focused on growing their firms and creating jobs.
In December 2011, Sen. Landrieu voted for a two-month extension of the payroll tax and expressed her support for passing an extension through the end of the year.
2009 Economic Development Award Winner
The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) presented Sen. Landrieu with the 2009 Federal Leadership in Economic Development Award for her efforts to promote successful entrepreneurship. Sen. Landrieu was given the award for her work in:
• Securing $25 million in funding for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans for Katrina/Rita and millions of dollars in Economic Development Administration grants for Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike.
• Leading a bipartisan coalition to enact SBA disaster reforms as part of the Farm Bill.
• Obtaining funding for the Northeast Louisiana Business and Community Development Center.
• Acquiring $400,000 for the Louisiana Immersive Technology Enterprise program at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, which develops technology used for military training.
