A Chance for Meaningful, Bipartisan Reform

This week, the JUSTICE Act was introduced in the House. This legislation is the most ambitious and significant reform to law enforcement in decades. Above all, the bill promotes transparency and accountability, with a focus on rooting out bad apples while also recognizing the important role law enforcement officers play in keeping our communities safe.

Americans have called out for change and it is our responsibility as legislators to make sure that this change is effective and lasting, instead of chasing the empty and dangerous rhetoric coming from those who demand we defund and dismantle police departments. We cannot turn our backs on our police officers — the brave men and women who put their lives on the line every day to keep our communities safe, and we must protect their ability to do that brave and heroic work.

I am proud to be an original cosponsor of the JUSTICE Act, and I applaud Senator Tim Scott and Rep. Pete Stauber for their tireless work on this historic legislation. I strongly encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill and move it swiftly to President Trump’s desk. We have a real opportunity for meaningful, bipartisan reform, and we should not let this moment go to waste.

Americans are Ready to Return to Work

The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis hosted a briefing on “The Unemployment Pandemic: Addressing America’s Jobs Crisis." I opened the briefing by praising the American people's spirit and determination to get back to work, as well as the recovery of the American economy, bolstered by the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) which saved millions of paychecks and jobs. As of June 12, there are more than 4.5 million PPP loans approved totaling more than $512 billion.

We have entered the recovery phase and the American people helped create 2.5 million jobs in May – completely shocking the “experts” who predicted 7.5 million job losses, shattering post-WWII records. Retail sales had the biggest one-month increase ever, rising 17.7%. Make no mistake – we still have a long road to recovery ahead, but America was not built to shelter in place. Safely re-opening is critical to move our country forward. Click here to watch my opening remarks.

Community Updates

• Ochsner Health announced community COVID-19 testing in Houma on June 23 through June 24. Testing will take place from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, June 23 and 24, or until all test kits have been utilized, at the Mechanicville Recreation Center, 2814 Senator St. in Houma.
  
  
• The CDC released a checklist for communities of faith to use to protect the health of their staff and congregants during the COVID-19 outbreak. As churches begin to reopen, it’s important to have a plan to protect staff and congregants at a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
  
  
• In support of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and our nation’s veterans, FEMA has coordinated shipments of more than 6.6 million respirator masks, 500,000 surgical masks, more than 3.3 million gloves, 424,000 face shields and 30,000 surgical gowns to VA facilities across the country.

It is an honor to represent you in Congress. For more information please visit my website, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pages.


God Bless,