NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell today released the following statement, thanking the members of the New Orleans legislative delegation for their hard work during the session and applauding their success:
"On behalf of the people of New Orleans, and our entire region, I congratulate the members of our delegation on a successful session at the legislature — and I thank them for all they were able to accomplish by pulling together," said Mayor Cantrell. "Thanks to their dynamic leadership and determination, we had an incredibly productive session and accomplished some historic wins for our people and for our region.
"Yesterday, we came together to witness as Gov. John Bel Edwards signed our Fair Share package into law — an agreement that will ultimately dedicate over $200 million towards vital infrastructure needs in the next five years. And when the final budget was passed, it contained over $48 million in capital outlay towards crucial New Orleans priorities.
"Every member of our delegation played a vital role in making this session such an historic success for our region, and all of them deserve our thanks. Reps. Neil Abramson, Walt Leger and Jimmy Harris worked in concert with Sens. J.P. Morrell and Karen Carter Peterson to deliver a big win on Fair Share for the people of New Orleans. Sen. Troy Carter led the way on a path forward to addressing our affordable-housing crisis and to getting interpreters for victims of domestic violence. Rep. John Bagneris worked hard on our HANO bill, Rep. Royce Duplessis helped move forward with a needed study on sexual assaults, and Sen. Karen Carter Peterson fought to help us sensibly reorganize the RTA.
"Their individual efforts were invaluable, but even more significantly — the entire delegation came together for the people of our region. They showed up, they supported one another, and they made a huge difference for the residents we serve. The people of New Orleans recognize and thank each of our State Representatives and our Senate Members:
- Rep. Neil Abramson
- Rep. John H. Bagneris
- Rep. Joseph Bouie
- Rep. Gary Carter
- Rep. Royce Duplessis
- Rep. Raymond E. Garofalo
- Rep. Jimmy Harris
- Rep. Stephanie Hilferty
- Rep. Walt Leger, III
- Rep. Christopher J. Leopold
- Sen. Conrad Appel
- Sen. Wesley T. Bishop
- Sen. Troy Carter
- Sen. J.P. Morrell
- Sen. Karen Carter Peterson
“Thanks are due as well to members all across the state, and to representatives across the political spectrum. This year, we saw cooperation across the aisle, and support from all over Louisiana. We are grateful for their friendship, for their hard work, and for the regional cooperation which delivered such strong results for our people.”
“We are grateful to Gov. John Bel Edwards, to Senate President John Alario and to Speaker Taylor Barras for their leadership in coaching an ambitious agenda successfully through the legislature.
"None of this would have been possible without the relentless work and dedication of our Intergovernmental Relations staff. Director Art Walton and Monika Gerhart began engaging our state delegation immediately after our administration took office, and made building those relationships a priority throughout our first year. We met regularly with our regional delegation, and we made trips across the state to engage with representatives in other regions. Once we got into session, Rep. Neil Abramson did a phenomenal job as our floor manager — and it paid off with an incredibly fruitful legislative session and some big wins for our City and her people. Thanks to them, and to all of the hard-working men and women of the House and Senate — this session was a great success.”
