May proved to be a busy month for us in Congress. Here is a quick update on what we have been able to accomplish over the last month. Additionally, I have included information on what we are setting our sights on in the near future, and some helpful tips for you as you prepare for hurricane season.

What I have been up to…

• H.R. 3080, the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) passed the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate with bipartisan support.  The bill passed the House with a vote of 412-4 and the Senate passed the bill with a vote of 91-7. The President is expected to sign the bill into law soon.

The bill includes an increase in federal support for deeper dredging of our rivers, a key step in our journey towards a vibrant Mississippi River with ports that can take advantage of increased global trade and create more well-paying jobs. In the future, the changes this bill made to the project process for the Army Corps of Engineers could benefit important flood protection projects across the state, including the West Shore Levee Project here in the 2nd District.

• I introduced H.R. 4618, the Solitary Confinement Study and Reform Act of 2014. The bill seeks to start a national conversation about the practice of solitary confinement in U.S. prisons by bringing all relevant stakeholders to the table to explore options on how to improve the system.

The current practice of solitary confinement in our prisons must change and I look forward to leading this effort to bring change in the months and years ahead.

What to look forward to…

• In the near term, I will be introducing legislation which would increase the amount of “good time credits” available to prison officials to shorten the length of time served by inmates convicted of non-violent crimes that have demonstrated good conduct and taken steps to acquire marketable job skills and education.

Our prisons are overcrowded and they impose significant costs on the American taxpayer. I am introducing this bill because I think we should make smart reforms that will reduce the number of individuals in our system while at the same time encouraging inmates to acquire skills to join the 21st century labor force upon their release.

• Also, in the coming weeks I will introduce a bill that allows the United States Postal Service to offer basic financial services, including checking accounts and interest-bearing savings accounts.

More than 68 million Americans (181,000 households in the New Orleans area alone) do not have access to basic financial services. Without the ability to save and borrow at a reasonable price, these Americans are forced to rely on predatory lenders to put food on their tables. The USPS could offer these services at nearly one-tenth the price of predatory lenders, providing tens of millions of Americans with financial security.

What is impacting the 2nd Congressional District…

• June 1^st marked the beginning of hurricane season. In its initial outlook for the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted eight to thirteen named storms this year. Three to six of these storms are expected to become hurricanes, and one to two are likely to become major hurricanes. It is important to keep in mind it only takes one storm for disaster to strike.

I encourage you to take advantage of all available resources and information to ensure you are prepared in case of an emergency:

·         Ready.gov

·         Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness

·         National Hurricane Center

·         My Website

·         FEMA