“No one knows better than a Louisianian how to prepare for natural disasters, and this bill will make it easier for our small businesses to prevent loss. Too often, hardworking Americans are forced to weather storms first and federal bureaucracy second. I’m thankful to work with Sen. Rubio and colleagues to pass the PREPARE Act before another category four hurricane batters our state.”

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) joined Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Angus King (I-Maine) in introducing their Providing Resources for Emergency Preparedness and Resilient Enterprises (PREPARE) Act.

The bill would reauthorize the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Pre-Disaster Mitigation Pilot Program to give small businesses the opportunity to take out low-interest loans to proactively implement mitigation measures to protect their property from future disaster-related damage. Additional cosponsors include Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine).

“No one knows better than a Louisianian how to prepare for natural disasters, and this bill will make it easier for our small businesses to prevent loss. Too often, hardworking Americans are forced to weather storms first and federal bureaucracy second. I’m thankful to work with Sen. Rubio and colleagues to pass the PREPARE Act before another category four hurricane batters our state,” said Kennedy.

“The PREPARE Act would allow small businesses the opportunity to invest in mitigation before a disaster strikes. Investing in disaster mitigation on the front end saves business’, as well as taxpayers’, dollars, while reducing potential risks to property. I am proud to introduce this bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would improve the SBA’s previous program and allow businesses to be more prepared and more resilient in the future,” said Rubio.

The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane season has been so active that the National Hurricane Center has already exhausted the list of storm names. According to Federal Emergency Management Agency statistics, approximately 50 percent of small businesses close indefinitely following a disaster, and every $1 spent on mitigation saves taxpayers $6. 

The PREPARE Act:

• Creates an updated Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program for small businesses to proactively take out a low-interest loan (up to $500,000) in order to implement mitigation measures to protect their property from future disaster-related damage.
• Authorizes $25 million annually (FY2021 to FY2025).
• Tasks SBA with establishing and carrying out an advertising and outreach program related to pre-disaster mitigation.
• Tasks SBA with issuing guidance to ensure borrowers purchase and maintain insurance coverage over the duration of the loan.
• Requires SBA to conduct initial reporting and a program evaluation annually thereafter.
• Increases, from 20 to 30 percent, the limit on existing SBA Physical Business Disaster Loans a borrower may use towards post-disaster mitigation.

“Taxpayer dollars should protect and improve life, not snuff it out. Louisianians understand that abortion providers often offer inadequate care for vulnerable women, while killing the unborn for profit. I’m thankful to work with Sen. Lankford and our colleagues to ensure that states aren’t forced to fund abortion providers like Planned Parenthood.”

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) in introducing the Women’s Public Health and Safety Act, which gives states the authority to exclude abortion providers, like Planned Parenthood, from receiving Medicaid funds.

“Taxpayer dollars should protect and improve life, not snuff it out. Louisianians understand that abortion providers often offer inadequate care for vulnerable women, while killing the unborn for profit. I’m thankful to work with Sen. Lankford and our colleagues to ensure that states aren’t forced to fund abortion providers like Planned Parenthood,” said Kennedy.

“Abortion isn’t healthcare and taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to support the largest abortion-providers in the country under the guise of women’s healthcare. This bill allows states to ensure that tax dollars support the thousands of health care providers without the worry that tax dollars will also contribute to abortion services at organizations like Planned Parenthood. We can simultaneously stand for the unborn while also supporting fundamental, quality health services for women everywhere,” said Lankford.

Under current law, states are required to allow any qualified provider to participate in a state’s Medicaid system. A non-partisan Government Accountability Office report revealed that Planned Parenthood received $1.2 billion in Medicaid reimbursements over a three-year period, accounting for 80 percent of the abortion provider’s joint federal-state funding stream.

Kennedy and Lankford were joined in introducing the bill by Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Mike Crapo (R-N.D.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John Thune (R-S.D.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.).

Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas) has introduced identical legislation in the House of Representatives.  

“Louisiana’s railroads represent a critical part of our state’s economic success. While this funding will improve railroad safety, it will also stimulate the economy and create jobs in New Orleans and the surrounding region.”

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced an $8,262,391 grant from the Department of Transportation to support safety improvements to the New Orleans & Gulf Coast Railway Company’s Belle Chasse and Westwego subdivisions.

“Louisiana’s railroads represent a critical part of our state’s economic success. While this funding will improve railroad safety, it will also stimulate the economy and create jobs in New Orleans and the surrounding region,” said Kennedy.

Kennedy in June sent a letter to the Federal Railroad Administration expressing support for the New Orleans & Gulf Coast Railway Company’s grant application.

The project will improve approximately 24 miles of the Belle Chasse subdivision and eight miles of the Westwego subdivision along the Mississippi River.

“When Hurricane Laura destroyed homes and businesses across Louisiana, it displaced many of our state’s workers. This grant will help rebuild communities and create jobs for those unemployed as a result of the storm.”

MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced a $4,000,000 dislocated worker grant from the Department of Labor to create disaster relief jobs in Louisiana as a result of Hurricane Laura.

“When Hurricane Laura destroyed homes and businesses across Louisiana, it displaced many of our state’s workers. This grant will help rebuild communities and create jobs for those unemployed as a result of the storm,” said Kennedy.

These jobs will focus on debris cleanup and humanitarian assistance for individuals affected by Hurricane Laura in all 64 Louisiana parishes.