U.S. Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA) and U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) on Oct. 4 offered legislation that would add the Louisiana district they represent in Congress to a federal economic zone to grow the area’s workforce and economic competitiveness.
Rep. Graves sponsored H.R. 9921 alongside lead original cosponsor Rep. Scalise to include Terrebonne Parish, La., among the parishes and counties included in the Delta Regional Authority (DRA), a federal agency that promotes economic development and community resiliency in America’s Delta Region.
“Terrebonne Parish is already a great place to live, work and raise a family. That’s why we’ve busted our tail to get record funding for the Morganza to the Gulf project to protect Terrebonne and fight every day to secure federal hurricane disaster funds to rebuild Terrebonne,” said Rep. Graves, a senior member of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which has jurisdiction over the program.
“Adding Terrebonne Parish as a member of the Delta Regional Authority means parish elected and economic leaders can take the reins and grow jobs and the economy for Terrebonne’s future,” Rep. Graves added.
First established in 2000, the DRA is a joint collaboration among the eight states in the Lower Mississippi River and the federal government. The lawmakers said that adding Terrebonne to the DRA would serve as a catalyst to increase federal investment in areas such as workforce training and development and healthcare access in south Louisiana.
Over the past four years, the DRA has supported 73 projects in Louisiana, resulting in an additional 2,364 jobs and positively impacting more than 60,000 Louisianans, according to Reps. Graves and Scalise.
H.R. 9921 has been referred to both the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the U.S. House Financial Services Committee for consideration.