July Republican Professional Women of St. Tammany. RPWST Lt. Governor Candidate Forum 2nd Wednesday July 8, 2015 Open to the Public

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1 Republican Professional Women of St. Tammany Dates to Remember July 8 Lt. Gov. Candidate Forum Aug. 5 RPWST Mtg with STTARS Sept. 2 RPWST Mtg Oct. 7 RPWST Mtg Nov. 4 RPWST Mtg Dec. 2 RPWST Christmas Party Executive Board: President Robin Pringle Past President Susan Strain 1 st Vice President Audra Shay Programs and Venues 2 nd Vice Pres. Samantha Goodwin Membership Secretary, Recording Tracy Krieger Secretary, Corresponding Elizabeth Didier Treasurer Stephanie Danielson Standing Committees: Bylaws Campaign - Communications/Social Media Susan Strain Legislative Brandy Morris Public Relations/Publicity Susan Strain Scholarship Gayle Weber RPWST Lt. Governor Candidate Forum 2nd Wednesday July 8, 2015 Open to the Public NFRW Biennial Information On pages 6-10 July 2015 We enjoyed it so much last month, we re going back in July! Please make plans to join us for our Lt. Governor Candidate forum on Wednesday, July 8, 2015 at the Old Rail Brewery, 639 Girod St. in Mandeville. Cash bar and sign-in will begin at 6:30 pm and the forum will begin at 7 pm. Cost will be $20 for light snacks. We know you ll have some great questions for the candidates. Please these to Robin Pringle at rkkeliikoa@yahoo.com or Audra Shay at audralshay@gmail.com. SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT Covington City Council July St. Tammany Parish Council 8 RPWST Lt. Governor FORUM 9 Mandeville City Council Additional Committees: Americanism Sara Wood Community Involvement Fundraising Meeting Raffle Military Barbara Ryan NFRW/LFRW Special Programs/ Awards Susan Strain Scrapbook -- Stephanie Danielson Covington City Council RPEC meeting Mandeville City Council

2 Republican Candidates for Louisiana Lieutenant Governor RPWST Forum July 8, 2015 July 2015 Page 2 Senator Elbert Guillory Born and raised in Opelousas, LA, Elbert Guillory became active in the Civil Rights Movement during the late 1950 s then joined the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. He finished college while serving in the Navy and was accepted into several of the nation s top law schools. He graduated from Rutgers Law School and taught at Rutgers Law. Guillory worked for the state governments of New Jersey and Pennsylvania and at the age of 29, ran his first state agency in Maryland. Elbert Guillory spent 43 years as a criminal defense lawyer, and has served in both the Louisiana House of Representatives and the Louisiana Senate. He was named Legislator of the Year twice in his first six years and was elected to the Louisiana Justice Hall of Fame for his work in law and government. Billy Nungesser Called the hardest working man in America by one national media outlet for his work to protect the citizens he represented, Billy Nungesser has worked tirelessly to defend his community and fight to rescue and restore the Gulf Coast in the wake of the Deep Horizon Oil Spill. Another national news organization described him as a true son of Louisiana having grown up in the state s holy trinity of seafood, oil and politics. In 2006, Nungesser was elected President of Plaquemines Parish at a time when the parish was struggling to recover from the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. On Day One, Billy went to work challenging and working with FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers to increase public projects that increased investment in infrastructure. Billy efforts earned him re-election in 2010 with over 70% of the vote. He was appointed to the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Planning Commission, and received the Disaster Recovery Contractors Association s Golden Horizon Award. Jefferson Parish President John Young A life-long resident of Louisiana, John Young has dedicated the last 20 years of his career working to make Louisiana the best place to live, work, raise a family and visit. Elected Jefferson Parish President in 2010, he took on the task of restoring integrity and trust to the office. He implemented the first-ever Inspector General for Jefferson Parish and made ethics reform a top priority. As an elected leader, he consistently balances budgets, fights to keep taxes low, and increases transparency and accountability in government. By removing bureaucratic red tape, he attracted thousands of new jobs to Jefferson Parish and bolstered economic development throughout the region. A passion to save the natural beauty of the Sportsman s Paradise drives John to seek out ways to protect the state for future generations. He served as president of the Parishes Against Coastal Erosion (PACE), leading 20 parishes to fight for coastal protection and restoration. He is also a member of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Board.

3 July 2015 Page 3 RPWST Annual Meet & Greet Wednesday, June 3, 2015 See Page 11 for more pictures!

4 July 2015 Page 4 WELCOME RPWST NEW MEMBER!!! Welcome Back Renewing RPWST Member!!! Daphne Misuraca Stacy Cheredaryk WELCOME RPWST ASSOCIATE MEMBER!!! Billy Nungesser Republican Professional Women of St. Tammany Empowering women through political education and through the support of Republican candidates for better government Leslie Rozycki July 9 Kathryn Wildgen July 9 Sue Zaunbrecher July 10 Tana DeJean July 15 Peggy Saxon July 16 Kathy McWhorter July 29

5 July 2015 Page 5 Legislative Report Brandy Morris On June 23, 2015, the Senate passed the House Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act. The bill H.R. 2146, grants President Obama fast-track authority, also known as Trade Promotion Authority (TPA). While the bill does not contain the ineffective Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program, Republican leaders made clear in a joint statement that they will ensure the President can sign TAA into law. They even acknowledged It s a little bit of a high wire act and that Everybody knows we can t have TPA without TAA, so we ve got to get it passed. In addition to the procedural gimmickry, the underlying substance has gotten worse. At the behest of both parties leadership they have abandoned the original Senate-passed plan to use Medicare savings to pay for the renewal of TAA. The new Senate bill includes H.R which increases revenue by raising certain tax penalties to pay for the program deficit. This bill also fails to advance the unaddressed Export-Import Bank issues by Republican leaders. On May 21, Senator Lindsey Graham tweeted that the Most important aspect of agreement is we will also have the opportunity to vote on #ExIm reauth attached to the Highway Trust Fund reauth. This means the Senate leadership always planned to attach transportation funding to the TAA bill without addressing underlying program deficits of the Highway Trust Fund. On June, the House voted on the FY16 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 2577). The bill, commonly referred to at T-HUD, provided $55.3 billion in discretionary budget authority, which is a $1.5 billion increase above the current funding. Since 2008, the federal Highway Trust Fund (HTF) has required $54 billion in bailouts. Absent serious change, another $11 billion will be required this year. In addition T-HUD contains increasing spending levels for project-based rental assistance ($10.6 billion) and tenant-based rental programs ($19.9 billion) by $1.54 billion above current funding levels. The bill funds more than a dozen programs that deserve elimination, including $1.14 billion in subsidies to Amtrak (not related to Amtrak Bill approved 03/6/2015). Rather than provide tremendous budgetary resources to a bankrupt Highway Trust Fund and continue the cycle of taxpayer-funded bailouts, Congress should pursue reforms that empower states and localities while reducing federal control, both in terms of finances and regulations. Also in the works is the First Amendment Defense Act (H.R. 2802), introduced by Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Raul Labrador. This bill would prevent the federal government from discriminating against any individual or group, whether nonprofit or for-profit, based on their beliefs that marriage is the union of a man and woman or that sexual relations are reserved for marriage. That protection would extend to tax policy, employment, licensing, accreditation, contracting and grants. Unfortunately, the need for this legislation is real, especially now that the Supreme Court has clarified its definition marriage. The Obama administration s Solicitor General Donald Verrilli admitted during Supreme Court oral arguments that religious schools may lose their tax-exempt status for continuing to affirm marriage as the union of a man and a woman. Those involved in the wedding industry, including photographers, florists, and reception hosts have been hauled into court for declining to use their artistic talents to participate in same-sex wedding ceremonies. And faith-based adoption agencies in Massachusetts, Illinois, and Washington, D.C. have been forced to end foster care and adoption services rather than abandon their belief that children do best with a married mother and father. To be clear, the First Amendment Defense Act simply protects religious liberty and the rights of conscience. Americans are free to live and love how they choose and everyone should respect the intrinsic dignity of all human beings. The bill simply affirms that the federal government respects the rights of individuals, businesses, and organizations that wish to act in accordance with their beliefs about marriage, without taking away federally funded benefits or services from anyone.

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11 July 2015 Page 11 More information, more fun, more Republican values RPWST For more information, call , ext.232 Susan Strain and Sharon Drucker at Habitat Women Build reception. The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be. - Ralph Waldo Emerson American poet

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13 July 2015 Page 13 FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF REPUBLICAN WOMEN AND THE LOU- ISIANA FEDERATION OF REPUBLICAN WOMEN PLEASE VISIT THEIR WEBSITES AT NFRW.ORG AND LFRW.ORG

14 July 2015 Page 14 Please support our patrons. If you would like to add your business card to the RPWST newsletter for only $50 per year, please contact Susan S. Strain at or mail a check made out to RPWST to Hwy 36, Covington, LA 70433