A Note From the Desk of Congresswoman Letlow

We’ve had a productive month back home in the Fifth, and in Washington D.C. focusing on the issues at hand that are most important to Louisianans.

This month I continued my calls on President Biden to secure our border and fought to maintain our strong energy sector by cosponsoring the Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act.

I will continue reaching out to Louisianans about your everyday challenges and hearing directly from each of you to keep the Fifth District the best place to live, work, and raise a family.

Please do not hesitate to contact my office with your priorities, questions, and concerns. Our team is always accessible through this newsletter and our website. We are here to serve you!

Read on for more about my work for Louisianans throughout this month.

Sincerely,

Julia Letlow, Ph.D.
Member of Congress

Energy is not just a commodity, but a vital part of our daily lives. Unfortunately, our domestic energy industry is under fire by the Biden administration.

Most recently, President Biden decided to pause consideration of new liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in the U.S., an act that greatly restricts our energy potential. By limiting domestic production, the administration is pushing the country to rely more on foreign energy sources and weakening our national security.

With Louisiana being a leader in energy production, President Biden’s actions take away countless jobs in our state and hurt our economy.

I recently wrote an op-ed discussing how important the energy industry is to Louisiana, and how detrimental Biden’s policies can be for our state and beyond. Read it HERE.

The deadly opioid epidemic has affected every community across the country - to save lives, we have to do everything possible to combat prescription opioid abuse.

This month I co-introduced the Electronic Prescribing for Controlled Substances Act, which aims to require electronic prescriptions for all Schedule II-IV controlled substances, including opioids. These medications have a higher potential for misuse, and electronic prescribing of these substances can enhance patient safety and deter fraud.

I’m honored to join my colleagues in introducing this critical legislation to improve the quality of care for patients and increase visibility into physicians’ patterns of prescribing controlled substances to aid in the reduced chance of drug addiction.

For more information on the Electronic Prescribing for Controlled Substances Act, click HERE.

I was proud to highlight a new Library of Congress platform built to honor and memorialize individuals who were lost to COVID-19.

This platform which launched in coordination with my COVID-19 American History Project Act that passed on the House Floor last year, aims to provide a space for everyday Americans to share their stories and ensure they are never forgotten.

To learn more about the COVID-19 Archive Activation website, click HERE.

This month I saw folks from USA Rice, the Forest Landowners Association, and the U.S. Rice Producers Association, to talk about priorities for each industry and ways we can work together to advance these major commodities across our region.

We also discussed my Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act, which will help forest landowners with recovery assistance from natural disasters and forest fires.

U.S. Rice Producers Association

USA Rice

Forest Landowners Association

This month we had the wonderful opportunity of meeting with Louisiana college and university presidents to talk through our continued effort to make higher education accessible for everyone, and the exciting projects they are working on.

I believe that education can bring a person from poverty to prosperity. Advancing quality education opportunities will give our children a brighter future and lift up our communities, our region, and our state.

This month was filled with opportunities to meet with students from across the region from the University of Louisiana Monroe Atmospheric Science Department, Neville High School, and CADCA students. All of the students I encounter have such a passion for learning and making the world a better place.

I'm working to ensure every student in Louisiana and across the country has access to a quality education. Our children are our future, and investing in their education is critical to their success.

ULS Annual Conference

The University of Louisiana System Annual Conference is something that many higher education professionals look forward to every year. I was honored to join the conversation alongside New Orleans Saints Owner, Gayle Benson, to discuss the importance of expanding educational opportunities, investing in our students, and creating support systems for women to pursue leadership roles.

Ruston-Lincoln Capital Chamber Capital Chats

It was an incredible experience speaking at the Ruston-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce Capital Chats and meeting with business and industry leaders to talk through economic development opportunities across our region. We are blessed to live in the Fifth District and be surrounded by so many individuals who exude positivity and cultivate innovation.

February Legislative Update:

Floor Activity:

• I supported H.Res.863, a resolution authorizing the impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas the Secretary of Homeland Security, for neglecting his duty to secure the southern border and stem the flow of fentanyl into our communities.
• I supported H.R.7024, the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act, which aims to help level the playing field for American manufacturers to compete with China, increase investment into small businesses to create jobs for workers in their communities, and help families by modernizing the child tax credit.
• I supported H.R.5856, the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act, which will reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act until 2028 and enhance trafficking prevention, detection, and victim relief programs.
• I supported H.R.443, the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act, giving Department of Labor personnel the training needed to detect human trafficking cases and assist law enforcement in prosecution and prevention efforts.
• I supported H.Res.966, a resolution condemning sexual violence and rape perpetrated by Hamas in its war against Israel.
• I supported H.R.485, the Protecting Health Care for All Patients Act of 2023, prohibiting the use of quality-adjusted life-years to discriminate against healthcare patients with disabilities when accessing life-saving treatments.

Notable Bills:

• I cosponsored H.R. 4565, the All Children are Equal Act, which would reform the Title I education funding formula by ensuring that funding is equitably distributed to poorer, rural school districts.
• I cosponsored H.R. 6283, the DRUG Act, which breaks the link between the prices of medicines and the fees that Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM’s) charge to help fix incentives in the system that drive up costs for patients and employers.
• I cosponsored H.R. 3433, the Give Kids a Chance Act, which authorizes the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to require pediatric cancer trials to study not only one drug but a combination of drugs so that these medicines can beat relapsed cancers. This will help ensure that more pediatric therapeutics are explored so kids battling cancer have the best possible treatment to tackle cancer.
• I cosponsored H.R. 5012, the SHINE for Autumn Act, which aims to increase stillbirth research, education, and awareness by creating the first comprehensive, federal-state partnership to reduce stillbirth rates in the United States.

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