For one Louisiana politician, issues that arose in the wake of Hurricane Katrina aligned almost precisely with his campaign platform. U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal '91.5, R-La., who was first elected in 2004 and is up for re-election in November, spent the past year in Congress working to follow through on campaign promises of preserving tax cuts and increasing the availability and affordability of health care.
He has pursued such efforts in part to increase the quality of life for citizens struggling to recover from the effects of last year's hurricane.
While the storm devastated Louisiana, it also provided the motivation and opportunity to address many of the issues the state was already struggling with, Jindal said.
"Our agenda was reshaped by the storms that hit our district last year and many of our priorities changed dramatically," he added.
Health care was a priority for Jindal, who was admitted to the Program in Liberal Medical Education, during his time at Brown. But health care provision and resources became of even greater importance for him after Hurricane Katrina.
Jindal worked to pass a Medicare Part D penalty waiver in June for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Medicare Part D provides prescription drug coverage in conjunction with private insurance companies. In August, Jindal helped to extend the waiver to benefit victims of Hurricane Rita.
The September issue of Modern Healthcare Magazine included Jindal on its list of the 100 most powerful people in health care.
As a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Jindal worked to waive taxes on schools still rebuilding and recovering in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
In addition to health care and education measures, reviving Louisiana's struggling economy is also among Jindal's goals, he said.
"The economy was one of our biggest concerns before the storm and it became even worse afterwards," Jindal said. "We are one of the only states where more people leave than come in each year. Despite all our natural resources and our geographic location, we continue to lose our young educated people once they finish their educations and leave to find better paying jobs in Houston, Atlanta and Dallas."
In order to revive the economy, Jindal wants to suspend capital gains and income taxes.
"The current taxes on businesses for expanding and building utilities are too onerous," Jindal said. "We are taxing jobs to a critical point, and by removing these taxes we could encourage people to stay in Louisiana and create new jobs."
Jindal said he would also like to see Louisiana reap the benefits of the oil and gas produced off its coast. Louisiana produces 30 percent of the country's oil, but the state sees no royalties, Jindal said.
Environmental issues are also a point of interest for Jindal.
"Every year we lose 30 miles on average due to coastal erosion," he said. "This is a huge environmental concern." He added he would like to see the royalties from oil put toward costal restoration.
Jindal on national issues
In an interview with The Herald in October 2004, Jindal said he supported President George W. Bush's policies on terrorism and Iraq.
In a recent interview, Jindal said he would like to see the government take a more proactive role in transferring responsibility to Iraqi citizens.
"I think we need to realize the limitations of being an external force," Jindal said. "We need to respect the Iraqi people to decide for themselves how they want to live. I think it delays the process of transferring this responsibility when people have the impression that we are going to be there forever."
Regarding other national concerns, Jindal has worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to eliminate tax penalties incurred by citizens receiving FEMA aid and to reduce fraud and inefficiency.
"When you receive help from FEMA there shouldn't be a penalty," Jindal said. "But the (Internal Revenue Service) has tried to tax people retroactively. I'm working to reform FEMA to make it less inefficient and ensure that the money actually reaches the people who need help."
Jindal worked to include revisions to FEMA policies in the House's Homeland Security Appropriations Bill in September. Jindal's provisions made it possible for private educational institutions to seek aid from FEMA directly and implement an identity verification system to reduce fraud and waste, according to Jindal's Web site.
Jindal said he supports reducing the Marriage Tax Penalty and increasing the benefit families with children receive when filing taxes.
Jindal at Brown
As an undergraduate at Brown, Jindal was the president of the College Republicans and spent his time developing the political views he has taken with him to Louisiana and Congress.
"Being at Brown forced me to think much harder about the positions I held and why," Jindal said. "At Brown, you are constantly challenged to re-examine your views. You can't be complacent because there will always be someone who will disagree and can put together a persuasive argument."
Though he initially enrolled in the PLME program, Jindal realized he was more interested in a public policy career working on issues related to health care than pursuing a medical degree.
"I was motivated by the fact that I wanted to go home at the end of the day and know I had helped people in a very tangible way," Jindal said. "It was a tradeoff because as a politician I wouldn't be able to impact people directly like I could as a doctor, but I knew my policies could affect many people every day indirectly."
Looking ahead
In the Nov. 7 election, Jindal faces opposition from Democrats Stacey Tallitsch and David Gereighty and Libertarian Peter Beary. Because of Louisiana's open primary system, all candidates will be included on the ballot for the general election.
Jindal, who ran for governor of Louisiana in 2003, said he is open to the possibility of running for state office or a seat in the Senate and has received encouragement to run in future elections.
"I think my personality leans more toward the executive branch," Jindal said. "The responsibilities of the legislative branch are very important, but I think I might be able to make a more tangible impact and see more progress from an executive position."
