What a year we had! It has been an honor serving Louisianans in Congress, as we tackle the issues that impact you and your family. I’m so proud of what we have accomplished together this year – from addressing the unprecedented crisis at our border, giving parents a seat at the table when it comes to their child’s education, fighting to repeal WEP and GPO, providing our agriculture community with assistance from natural disasters, and supporting our law enforcement.

Read on for highlights of 2023 and more details on my work for Louisianans this year.

The border crisis is completely out of hand. Each month we hit a new record of illegal immigrant encounters at our southern border. There will be no end in sight if President Biden doesn’t change his border policies and enforce our existing immigration laws.

My Republican colleagues and I worked hard in 2023 to pass H.R. 2 – the Secure the Border Act . It is the most comprehensive border security bill in history and would allow us to regain control at the border by requiring the Biden Administration to restart construction of a border wall, increasing the number of Border Patrol agents, and ending the current catch-and-release policy.

In March, the House passed my Parents Bill of Rights . I created this legislation after seeing how school boards were attempting to deny parents the ability to know what is being taught in their children’s classrooms and deter them from asking questions and lawfully speaking out.

Education is the basis of a child’s future success, and parents should have a say in what they learn. In 2024, I hope the Senate will bring my bill up for consideration.

I also introduced the Empower Charter School Educators to Lead Act . This bill will further support the creation of new charter schools and will make an important shift in the current rules to allow Charter School Program (CSP) funds to go towards the pre-planning phase of prospective charter applicants. This means that former educators or administrators looking to create a new charter school can even use pre-planning funding to help locate and access new facilities.

I co-led the Child Care Small Business Insight and Improvement Act , a bipartisan bill that will increase access for child care small businesses across the country and provide a dedicated point person at the Small Business Administration for child care providers. As a single mom, I see firsthand how important child care is in order for parents to return to the workforce after having children.

I’m proud to help introduce this legislation so those parents can focus on going to work each day to provide for their families and ensure child care providers have the resources needed to be successful and help move our economy forward.

Repealing the unfair, bureaucratic Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) are among my top priorities for the 118th Congress.

I joined a bipartisan group of 8 colleagues to introduce H.R. 82 – the Social Security Fairness Act. This bill would repeal WEP and GPO in their entirety and ensure that our hardworking teachers, firefighters, police officers, and public servants are no longer penalized and denied the money that they paid into Social Security.

As I travel across the Fifth District, this remains a top concern for hardworking Louisianans who have been unjustly penalized. This past year, I was able to take action by listening to your stories and sharing how you have been affected by these unfair provisions.

In May 2023, I joined a bipartisan congressional panel, where I met with constituents from across this country and heard about how this burdensome bureaucratic rule affects over 2.5 million Americans.

In September 2023, I participated in the Ways and Means Committee Member Day hearing, where I shared the stories of my constituents who are negatively impacted by WEP/GPO, and I urged my colleagues to bring this bill forward for a vote.

In October 2023, I signed a letter to the Committee on Ways and Means requesting they hold a hearing on the Social Security Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset (WEP/GPO) and H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act.

In November 2023, I spoke at a House Ways and Means Committee field hearing in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on issues relating to WEP, GPO, and Social Security. I will take any opportunity to shed light on this issue and speak directly with those of you who are affected by the unfair WEP and GPO provisions.

We know WEP and GPO provisions are hurting so many of you. You deserve to receive the Social Security that you have paid into. I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and be a voice for the thousands of Louisianans affected by these unfair provisions to right this wrong.

This year, I introduced two bills that aim to help our farmers, ranchers, producers, and foresters deal with the effects of extreme weather and natural disasters that Louisiana so often faces.

The Drought Assistance Improvement Act will provide cattle ranchers with drought assistance more quickly by reducing the qualification period for drought relief payments from 8 to 4 consecutive weeks within the Livestock Forage Disaster Program. This change alone can keep farms afloat as they provide food for our tables and avoid years of repercussions.

In addition, this bill extends disaster relief for crawfish producers and considers drought conditions for assistance. As you all know, crawfish is a major commodity in our state, and we need to make sure the industry can receive needed disaster assistance.

Our local law enforcement, first responders, and firefighters are the lifeline of the safety and well-being of our communities. It is critical that the brave men and women who put themselves in harm’s way in service to our communities have the proper resources they need to keep us safe. That is why I co-led the BUILD Act, which will prioritize new grants for small and rural public agencies focused on upgrading local law enforcement and fire department facilities that serve fewer than 50,000 residents.

I’m proud of this bipartisan legislation which would ensure our rural public safety agencies have the adequate investments to continue their critical work for our communities.

In May, I co-led a resolution to recognize National Police Week and pay tribute to the 619 officers, including 10 Louisianans, who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. Every single day, our brave police officers put themselves in harm’s way to keep our communities safe. The least we can do is dedicate a full week to honoring their service.

This past year, I wrote numerous letters of support for federal grants that I felt would provide the Fifth District with the tools to continue to grow and thrive. Millions of federal dollars came back to our district through the grants process which made critical improvements to our hospitals, schools, airports, ports, infrastructure systems, and law enforcement agencies.

In addition, I serve on the powerful Appropriations Committee and was pleased to sponsor $46.5 million in community projects for Fiscal Year 2023. Take a look below to see the 15 community projects I was able to secure for you this year.

$15,500,000 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide structural security to the John Bennett Johnston navigation channel and John H. Overton Lock and Dam near Alexandria.
$5,000,000 for the City of West Monroe to create a shared-use pedestrian and bicycle path along Trenton Street, as well as other safety improvements.
$4,000,000 for the City of Ruston to complete the design of a new Interstate 20 interchange.
$4,000,000 for the City of Alexandria to make critical enhancements to the public utility system’s water infrastructure.
$4,000,000 for the City of Monroe to refurbish and upgrade the Calypso Street Pump Station.
$2,000,000 for Jackson Parish Hospital to expand and renovate the Hospital Emergency Room.
$2,000,000 for St. Francis Medical Center in Monroe for two new emergency generators.
$775,000 for CHRISTUS St. Frances Cabrini Hospital in Alexandria to establish a stable, alternative potable water supply.
$1,065,000 for LaSalle General Hospital in Jena to renovate and expand their therapies and Home Health building.
$2,500,000 for Grambling State University to establish a cybersecurity initiative for high school and undergraduate students to increase diversity within the field.
$1,555,000 for Louisiana Delta Community College to create a streamlined educational program that will help address workforce shortages in healthcare and education.
$990,000 for Louisiana State University-Alexandria to establish the Center for the Advancement of Regional Educators initiative to increase the number of teachers in Central Louisiana.
$2,000,000 for University of Louisiana Monroe to go towards new equipment for the installation of 100 mesonet, weather monitoring, sites across Louisiana.
$706,000 for the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Department for new Rapid DNA testing technology and tools.
$462,000 for the Grant Parish Sheriff’s Department for new Rapid DNA testing technology and tools

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