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RESERVE – On Monday morning, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) participated in a town hall meeting with members of Beech Grove Baptist Church in Reserve. Cassidy was welcomed by Pastor Cory Batiste of Beech Grove Baptist Church, and was joined by Jaclyn Hotard, president of St. John the Baptist Parish.
Together, they discussed how Hurricane Ida impacted St. John Parish and what needs to be done to complete their recovery.

“Parish President Jaclyn Hotard joined and gave information regarding recovery,” said Dr. Cassidy. “It was wonderful to meet with fellow Louisianans to hear concerns and to partner in recovery.”
“I’m so happy for senator Cassidy to come and check on all the Louisiana people,” said Rev. Batiste. “He has shown now throughout the years to be a Senator who’s not about party and willing to always reach across the line. I’m so happy that he really cares about all Louisianans, and that really means so much to me. He answered a little email that I sent to him, and, man, that speaks volumes of his character, his commitment to the state, and to the people. I love him for that.”

“I appreciate Senator Cassidy and staff visiting St. John the Baptist Parish today,” said President Hotard. “I discussed the need for additional federal funding for housing, mitigation efforts including elevation and rebuilding, and continued financial support of the West Shore Levee Project.”

Since Hurricane Ida struck, Cassidy has twice visited St. John Parish, once to meet with President Hotard and her staff, and previously to welcome President Biden before he toured Ida damage. There, Cassidy secured a commitment from the president to support federal assistance for those impacted by Hurricane Ida, as well as those impacted by the hurricanes of 2020. This resulted in Congress passing a continuing resolution that included disaster supplemental aid for communities impacted by those storms.

Additionally, Cassidy was one of the five lead Republican negotiators on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which has been approved by Congress and will be signed into law. The bipartisan legislation include billions for resiliency and flood mitigation projects, to prevent future storms from devastating coastal communities.