April 12, 2014 Weekly Update

This week, a judge rejected President Obama’s Justice Department’s attempt to impede the Louisiana Scholarship Program.  The judge refused to approve of the Justice Department’s request to have veto power over individual scholarship awards for children who are trying to escape failing schools.   Governor Jindal hailed the ruling as a win for Louisiana children and the school choice movement.

Here Is A Quick Recap Of The News About The Governor’s Week:

A Federal Judge Ruled In Favor Of Louisiana In President Obama’s Justice Department’s Suit That Attempted To Impede The Louisiana Scholarship Program. A federal court has rejected attempts by the Justice Department to scrap Louisiana’s school choice program, ending a months-long battle between the state and the Obama administration. U.S. District Court Judge Ivan Lemelle ruled Tuesday evening that the Louisiana Scholarship Program can go on as planned … The judge did not grant the DOJ’s request to be able to deny vouchers on an individual basis. The vouchers are used by the families of students who attend failing public schools to pay for tuition at private institutions.

Governor Jindal Called The Ruling A “Win For Children And Their Parents.” “Today is a great day for school choice and access to an opportunity for a better education for all Louisianians,” he said. “I am pleased that the court rejected President Obama’s Justice Department’s attempt to establish a review period where bureaucrats in Washington would be able to reject scholarship awards solely because the child is not the ‘right’ skin color.” The ruling rejected the DOJ’s request for a 45-day review period for all vouchers and will not disrupt the program…

Governor Jindal Called Out Attorney General Holder For His Strange Comment That His Department’s Suit Was Not An Attempt To Shutdown The Scholarship Program. Attorney General Eric Holder testified on Friday that the Justice Department (DOJ) never intended to stop the Louisiana school voucher program, despite his agency’s lawsuit that requested a permanent injunction against school choice scholarships. … Jindal said he hoped Holder was under oath when he said the DOJ was not trying to stop the program. “If filing a lawsuit isn’t taking a position on an issue, I don’t know what is,” he said in a statement to the Washington Free Beacon. “Eric Holder and the Department of Justice are trying to impede children who haven’t had access to a great education from getting the chance to go to better schools,” Jindal said. “In Louisiana, we refuse to accept that any child should be forced to be trapped in a failing school.”

Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody Called Governor Jindal A “One-Man Idea Factory.”  Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is making noise within GOP circles as a man with plenty of ideas. … Jindal's biggest splash, however, could be that he's viewed as a one-man idea factory. "We need to win the war of ideas not only because I think it's good and the path forward to us being a governing party, but also secondly, if we really think these issues are so important for America, if we think we're at a critical tipping point, we owe it to have that discussion with the American people," he said. And the ideas are flying. … Jindal has used America Next to spell out his version of healthcare reform. "Let's make healthcare more portable so when you lose your job you don't lose your coverage," he said. "Let's also make sure that we can help individuals form voluntary purchasing pools to be able to afford healthcare. There are real policies that will drive down the cost that don't involve the government talking over healthcare." Jindal has been tackling myriad issues, ranging from energy production to school choice programs - something that's been a hit in Louisiana..

Reason Magazine Reported On Governor Jindal’s Alternative To Obamacare. Before conservative policy wonks can win any policy victories, they’ll need to overhaul the Republican Party. For an idea of what that might look like and the challenges any transformation will entail, they should look to one of the party’s wonkiest politicians, Louisiana Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal.  Last week, as President Obama touted the 7.1 million private plan sign-ups in Obamacare’s first open enrollment period, Jindal gave the world a glimpse at what the outlines of a Republican alternative might look like. Not only would the plan repeal Obamacare; it would, among other things, overhaul the tax code to remove the tax advantage for employer-sponsored health plans, offer incentives to states to protect access for individuals with preexisting health conditions, block grant Medicaid, expand health savings accounts, and create a $100 billion innovation fund for states experimenting with policies to bring down the cost of health care.  

CBS Highlighted Governor Jindal’s Conservative Plan To Replace Obamacare. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a potential 2016 presidential candidate, offered a Republican alternative to Obama’s health care overhaul last week, saying states should play a greater role in containing health care costs while giving consumers more flexibility in choosing insurance plans. Jindal said Obama’s health care law should be “repealed in its entirety” but said Republicans need to offer a better way to reform the health care system, wading into one of the most contentious policy issues in the upcoming midterm elections. … Jindal’s proposal aims to contain rising health care costs instead of focusing on universal coverage, something he called “the liberal shibboleth.” It would not force consumers to buy insurance plans but would instead turn to the states to find ways to control premiums and medical costs. The proposal includes a $100 billion grant program that states could access if they come up with insurance reforms to curb costs. To be part of the plan, states would need to guarantee access to people with pre-existing conditions, a key part of Obama’s health care law.

Louisiana Higher Education Leaders Urged The Legislature To Approve Of Governor Jindal’s Plan To Increase Funding For Job Training Programs That Will Prepare Louisiana Students To Fill The Thousands Of Jobs Coming To The State. Higher education leaders urged lawmakers Monday to maintain Gov. Bobby Jindal's plan for a new $40 million incentive fund to steer money to high-demand degree and job training programs. The dollars are included in Jindal's 2014-15 budget recommendations for the fiscal year that begins July 1. … The Workforce and Innovation for a Stronger Economy Fund, called the WISE Fund, would direct dollars to engineering, technology, research and other sought-after programs at Louisiana's four-year universities and community and technical colleges. The Jindal administration has attracted billions of dollars in new investment, much of it in the petrochemical industry, but administration and higher education leaders say Louisiana needs to better prepare workers for the tens of thousands of jobs coming with those projects.