Letter to Alfred Speer, Clerk of the Louisianna House of Representatives - Veto House Bill No. 22, 1091, 953

Letter

The Honorable Alfred W. Speer
Clerk of the House of Representatives
State Capitol
Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Re: House Bill No. 22 by Representative Kevin Pearson

Dear Mr. Speer:

House Bill No. 22 by Representative Pearson contains language that it shall become effective only if House Bill No. 1278 does not become effective.

On this date, I have signed House Bill No. 1278; however, it contains five separate sections with two different effective dates, one of which does not occur until July 1, 2015 and depends on a future action taken by the Public Retirement Systems' Actuarial Committee. Due to the length of time prior to all sections of House Bill No. 1278 becoming effective and the uncertainty this would cast over the implementation of House Bill No. 22, the author has requested a veto of House Bill No. 22.

For these reasons I have vetoed House Bill No. 22 and hereby return it to the House.

Sincerely,

Bobby Jindal
Governor

RE: House Bill No. 1091 by Representative Tom Willmott

Dear Mr. Speer:

House Bill No. 1091 would place a significant burden on our citizens, particularly those who reside in rural areas, while providing questionable benefit to their pets. The bill's broad definition of the criterion by which a dog must be crated has rightly caused concern to Louisiana sportsmen and farmers for being overly broad. Animal cruelty is explicitly prohibited by current law, and I trust that our citizens can care for their pets without the nanny state intervening to dictate how a dog is secured in the bed of a pickup truck.

For these reasons, and as requested by Louisiana Farm Bureau and Louisiana Sportsmen's Alliance, I have vetoed House Bill No. 1091 and hereby return it to the House.

Sincerely,
Bobby Jindal

Re: House Bill No. 953 by Representative Walt Leger

Dear Mr. Speer:

House Bill No. 953 would significantly impair parents' ability to have clear information about the performance of their child's school and teachers' ability to have meaningful feedback. The bill sacrifices the important education reforms supported by this Legislature in 2010 and 2012 in order to implement a set of national standards and tests that take away local control and standardize our education system.

Louisiana needs to raise the academic performance of our students so we can compete in the 21st century, but not at the expense of handing away our school system to the federal government through Common Core and PARCC, and sacrificing the important reforms that empower parents to choose the best school for their children.

The opposition to this bill has come from both sides of the Common Core issue. The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, LA Federation for Children, Black Alliance for Educational Options, Stand for Children, Louisiana Association of Charter Schools, and the Council for a Better Louisiana opposed the bill during the Legislative session because it delays reform and deprives our children of high quality teachers, accountable administrators, and clear information about the performance of their schools. Others opposed the bill for enshrining Louisiana's participation in Common Core and PARCC. The Louisiana School Boards Association, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, and the Louisiana Association of Educators also opposed the bill during the session. They are joined by countless parents who have requested a veto.

Given the wide spread opposition and the gravity of any decision that affects our children, I have vetoed House Bill No. 953 and hereby return it to the House of Representatives.

Sincerely,

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