Medical Grants
The Department of Health and Hospitals’ Tobacco Control Program recently awarded $330,000 to 10 community programs across the state. These grants will be used to prevent youth tobacco use, promote cessation, eliminate second-hand smoke exposure and reduce tobacco disparities among various populations.
The grants were awarded through two programs funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The grants of $30,000 – $35,000 were awarded through a competitive process.
The Statewide Community Partnership Grant provided funding to one community partner in each of the nine regions in the state to promote cessation and provide education about the dangers of tobacco. Recipients for fiscal year 2008-2009 are below. (For details on specific service areas, see the attached chart.)
Open World Family Services, Inc., of the Greater New Orleans
Area hosts quarterly community wellness days to offer health care resources in Hurricane Katrina affected areas.
The Joy Corporation of the Capital Area works with substance
abuse prevention, education, youth leadership and development.
The Tangipahoa Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council provides tobacco
and drug prevention, education, resources and support services.
The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council for South Louisiana located
in Houma works to prevent and reduce tobacco and other drug addiction, particularly among children, and builds conflict resolution skills.
Southwest Louisiana Area Health Education Center of Lafayette
and Lake Charles works to improve health status through access to information, education and health services.
Campti Community Development Center in Natchitoches Parish
promotes healthy communities and healthy lifestyle choices.
Gibsland Youth Community Resource Center in Bienville Parish
provides education and social programs for youth and adults that promote positive and healthy choices.
Empowering Communities of America, Inc. in Monroe works with
businesses, community organizations and schools to provide education and materials to prevent illegal substance and tobacco use.
The Regional Community Capacity Building Initiative Grant provided funds to two groups to address health related disparities among the
18-24 year old, straight-to-work population. Recipients for fiscal year
2008-2009 are:
The Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse in the New Orleans area
works to prevent alcohol and substance abuse and promotes safe communities and healthy individuals and families.
Men of Vision and Enlightenment, Inc., in Lincoln Parish works
to change institutional, governmental and community policy and encourage lifestyle changes among adults and youth to reduce the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.
New Orleans Foundation
Ellen M. Lee has been named Interim President & CEO of the Greater New Orleans Foundation effective July 1. Lee replaces Gregory Ben Johnson, who served as the Foundation’s leader from 1983 to 2008. Under Johnson’s leadership, the Foundation’s assets grew to its current $190 million. Johnson strengthened the Foundation’s leadership role in such community issues as housing, education, workforce development, and rural and regional initiatives.
Lee is currently Senior Vice President of Programs at the Foundation. Prior to joining GNOF, Lee served as Assistant Director for the Disaster Recovery Unit for the State of Louisiana’s Office of Community Development. The DRU was responsible for the administration of $13 billion in federal funds for disaster recovery programs. Before working for the state, Ellen served as the Deputy Executive Assistant for Neighborhood Development for the City of New Orleans. In that job, she oversaw the administration of $30 million in federal, state and local funds to address housing and community development needs.
GNOF has formed an executive search committee. An announcement of the new president and CEO is expected in the next several months. GNOF has been instrumental in the planning and rebuilding New Orleans.
Katrina, Rita Appropriations
United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., yesterday commented on the Senate’s passage of the Supplemental bill for Iraq and Afghanistan that includes $5.8 billion for Louisiana levees and $73 million for Gulf Coast low-income housing vouchers. The Senate had passed a much more robust $8.7 billion hurricane recovery package that Sen. Landrieu worked closely with Senate Appropriations Chairman Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., to craft.
Sen. Landrieu said:
“This bill provides a foundation for some of the remaining recovery needs on the Gulf Coast, but the task is not completed. The House of Representatives unfortunately caved to White House demands and cut from this Supplemental critical funding the Senate had passed for our very real domestic emergency along the Gulf Coast. Gone are provisions to finally make our hospitals whole, to beef up our criminal justice system – much of which is still operating out of trailers – language to accelerate closure of MRGO. Also gone is the flexibility I added for Louisiana to pay back over 30 years its cost share for repairing the federal levees that broke in 2005.
“The House did, after a media onslaught, keep in the bill funding for 3,000 vouchers for extremely low income Louisianians who are seniors, disabled or both. It is a crucial provision that will go a long way toward keeping our most vulnerable population off the street.
“Chairman Byrd, however, has not forgotten the Gulf Coast, and has announced his intention to move a second, domestic emergency Supplemental that will include the lost funding and flexibility. Majority Leader Reid has also said he supports a second Supplemental that would include our funding. I am working with them to get this bill done as soon as the Senate returns from the upcoming July 4th recess. Our communities cannot wait any longer.”
Budget
Commissioner of Administration Angele Davis released the following statement on Wednesday assessing the state's fiscal status and the impact of reforms undertaken during the regular legislative session:
"We worked with the legislature to pass a first budget that was fiscally responsible, with total funding of $29.7 billion for the next fiscal year that is $4.6 billion less than the existing operating budget of $34.3 billion – a 13 percent reduction. While this reduction did reflect a loss of federal dollars, losing those dollars also required using state money to cover critical social and health care services.
"We completely eliminated, for the first time in history, the state's long-held, unhealthy habit of relying on 'one-time' revenue to cover recurring expenditures. Eliminating the current year's $800 million reliance on one-time money also represents the largest year-to-year reduction in Louisiana's history. We have cut up that credit card, kicked that unhealthy habit, and we are addressing the state's ongoing expenses in an honest, straight-forward manner.
"Where state spending did rise, it was largely the result of plugging that $800 million (mostly in health care expenses) back into the budget, and addressing important education goals through a $90 million automatic increase in public school funding, $56 million more for a teacher pay raise and $35 million for higher education, to keep both at the southern average.
"This fiscally responsible approach laid the groundwork and made it possible to balance the budget, totally eliminate the reliance on one-time money, and provide taxpayers permanent relief. Taken as a whole, that is a tremendous accomplishment, and one in which every Louisianian can take pride. This largest tax cut in Louisiana history will mean that Louisiana's taxpayers will keep $1 billion more of their hard-earned money over the next five years alone, to help grow their dreams and help grow Louisiana's economy. But it also means there will be one billion fewer dollars available to grow government.
"Holding the line on the size of government, we cut 984 vacant state government positions at an estimated savings of $58 million. And as a result of a limited statewide government hiring freeze, we achieved state General Fund savings of $39 million -- $14 million more than the $25 million target called for in the Governor's executive order.
"We eliminated two government offices and consolidated six others.
"The Governor issued strict criteria for use of state tax dollars toward new legislative "earmarks" for Non-Governmental Organizations, to safeguard transparency, accountability, and so that state taxpayer dollars will be used for true state priorities.
"While protecting the budgetary bottom line, we also were able to target investments toward important strategic and critical needs:
- Along with teacher pay and higher education funding increases, provided $10 million for student scholarships; $10 million for teacher flexible pay; $12.6 million for literacy and numeracy initiative; $8.5 million for the Recovery School District extended day program; and $1.8 million through the MFP to create two new charter schools
- In healthcare: $10 million more to expand LaCHIP; $13.8 more to address mental health crisis
- For workforce development: Devoted $10 million for workforce training through LCTCS, $4.5 million for career technical education, and $3 million for Quickstart Training
- For future economic development opportunities, invested $40 million in the Rapid Response Fund and put aside $307 million more in the Economic Development Mega-Fund
- Invested additional $7.5 million toward juvenile justice reform and $6.5 million for a new 50-member state police manpower class
"These strategic investments, coupled with policy reforms, are aimed at enhancing the quality of life of the citizens of this state, and we will be monitoring their performance to make sure they are getting results. With the completion of all budget bills, we still left in place a budget excess of $639 million – money that will become surplus to be used to address important long-standing liabilities of the state.
"In Capital Outlay, or the state's capital construction budget, the Governor responded to a monumental $1.465 billion backlog in Priority 5 non-cash obligations by doing something sensible, but unprecedented: Adding no new projects and no new Priority 5 spending.
"Acknowledging that the problems in the Capital Outlay process stem from an overloading in the budget of local projects in excess of borrowing capacity, we passed real reform that consisted of 1) Requiring spending restraint by limiting funding of non-state projects to no more than 25 percent of cash line of credit capacity and requiring 25 percent local match for non-state projects; and 2) Increasing the quality of projects funded through the program by establishing objective criteria for feasibility studies for all projects, to make sure they are necessary, practical, cost-effective, and self-sustaining. We reached compromise with legislators to give them more involvement on non-state project recommendations, but we held the line on across-the-board feasibility analysis, a cornerstone to reform. As a result, I believe these reforms will bring much-needed accountability and spending restraint to the process, and improve the quality of taxpayer-financed state construction projects, which is the truest test of capital outlay reform.
"Overall, this session saw significant strides in fiscal reform."
