|
 Printer-Friendly Version
Remarks Prepared for Delivery by
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao
Louisiana FOP State Conference
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Friday, July 21, 2006
Thank you, Chuck [Canterbury]. The FOP has a great leader in Chuck Canterbury and I appreciate his friendship and leadership!
I would also like to thank Pat Yoes, your state lodge president, and Bart Thompson, the chairman of this conference, for your work on the 26th Biennial State Conference.
I also want to recognize Donna Gambrell, regional director for Chairman Donald Powell, who is Coordinator of the Federal Support for the Recovery and Rebuilding of the Gulf Coast Region. She took a one-year absence from the FDIC to do this important job.
It was almost one year ago that I addressed the FOP's 57th Biennial National Conference in New Orleans. At that time, I commended the FOP for helping keep our country strong and secure, and for being a friend to President George W. Bush and the U.S. Department of Labor. Thank you, again, for your friendship. And thank you for all you do to protect our homeland and keep our communities safe.
Your members have faced unprecedented challenges in the past year. So I wanted to let you know, in person, that our country is grateful for all that you do to serve and to protect our citizens, our neighborhoods and our communities.
Many members of the FOP lost their homes in last year's hurricanes. And many were separated from family members who were evacuated to safety. But the men and women of the FOP stayed on the job, rescuing citizens and restoring order in a chaotic and dangerous situation. They did so without a working communications system — relying on the tools that every officer has: good instincts and a desire to help.
Immediately after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast region, I joined fellow Cabinet members in the Gulf Coast to assess the damage firsthand and see how the government might lend assistance. We toured some of the hardest hit areas in the Gulf. And we spent time with citizens who lost everything and were in great need of hope, encouragement, and compassion. I'm very proud that many U.S. Department of Labor employees volunteered to come to the Gulf Coast and help. They were offering hope and a helping hand to those who needed it. The Department provided immediate income support to survivors through unemployment insurance, disaster unemployment assistance, and $240 million in National Emergency Grants. These grants put money in the pockets of those who had lost their livelihoods. They also helped with the cleanup by providing temporary jobs and employment and training assistance to over 60,000 people affected by the hurricanes.
The Department was right there with funding to support programs that train and employ workers in critical industries such as construction, energy, health care, transportation, and safety and security.
The Department also awarded $5 million for Disaster Response and Recovery Training Grants. These provided critical health and safety training for workers engaged in disaster response, clean-up and rebuilding activities.
And the Department provided additional funds and manpower to expedite Unemployment Insurance claims for Louisiana workers who lost their jobs because of the hurricanes.
In fact, senior leaders of the Department and I made 11 separate trips to the Gulf region to ensure that the Department was doing its utmost for those affected by Hurricane Katrina. The President directed us to do everything possible to help — and we were glad to it.
President George W. Bush is deeply committed to rebuilding a better and stronger Gulf Coast region. Just a few weeks ago, he signed legislation that provides an additional $19.8 billion to help families and communities rebuild. These funds, combined with almost $100 billion of previously allocated funds, will provide direct assistance to families. This funding will provide shelter and medical care to residents of the Gulf. It will help remove debris and rebuild local communities. And it will strengthen the region's hurricane defenses, rebuild community infrastructure, and restore the environment. To date, over $16 billion has been allocated to the state of Louisiana for housing and levee repairs. This is a critical investment in the future of the Gulf Coast region and our nation.
Last year's hurricanes added to the many challenges that law enforcement officials face every day. So this Administration wants to ensure that you have the tools and protections you need.
As President Canterbury mentioned, the Department recently finished a critical update of the nation's overtime laws that strengthened overtime rights for law enforcement. When the Department of Labor began the long overdue process of updating the nation's overtime rules, your needs were a priority. Thanks to the constructive engagement of the Fraternal Order of Police in the rulemaking process, the right to overtime for police was clearly protected and strengthened in the new overtime rule — for the first time in U.S. history.
During that effort, some critics claimed that workers would lose their overtime as a result. Instead, more workers have actually become eligible for overtime protection. In fact, I hear many stories from police officers who were previously exempt from overtime protection and now qualify for overtime protection. That's great news for the men and women of law enforcement!
As President Canterbury also mentioned, the Department of Labor and the Fraternal Order of Police have also worked together to help the spouses of fallen officers through the Steve Young Memorial Scholarship program. The FOP is renowned for taking care of its members. And the Department is proud to be part of this effort. We initially committed $2 million to help spouses of fallen law enforcement officers provide for their families and build new careers. Your scholarship program has achieved so much, that I was proud to announce an additional $1 million commitment from the Department of Labor to this worthy program.
The Fraternal Order of Police has also been a key supporter of our men and women in uniform who are fighting the War on Terror. In fact, President Canterbury and I visited with our troops in Iraq in January 2004 and thanked them for all they were doing in the name of freedom. We also visited the Baghdad Police Academy and offered our encouragement to the young recruits, who were eager to help establish law and order in their country. We were very impressed with their resolve. Members of the FOP understand very well the dangers that they face every day and the tremendous sacrifices they are making to try and bring stability to their country.
Last month, President Bush made a surprise trip to Iraq where he met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. You will be pleased to know that the Iraqi leadership understands that it is critical to establish an effective police force. To that end, the Iraqi leadership has appointed an Interior Minister who shares those views. The new leadership understands the importance of ensuring that the police force in Iraq is capable of protecting the population from the terrorists who are trying to destabilize the nation. Our troops are helping by training the Iraqi police in modern, professional methods.
The Fraternal Order of Police has many members in the U.S. Reserve and National Guard. Some have been called up to duty to serve in the War on Terror overseas. We are so grateful for their sacrifice and their service to their country.
Protecting their reemployment rights is a top priority of this Administration and the U.S. Department of Labor. The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act, also known as USERRA, was signed into law in 1994. But regulations were never drafted to implement these rights or advertise these rights to employers and soldiers — until this Administration made it a priority and issued regulations last year. We have launched an aggressive outreach campaign to ensure that:
- Employers know their responsibilities under this law,
- Veterans know their rights, and
- Complaints are vigorously investigated and resolved.
So let me close by saying again how much I appreciate this opportunity to visit with you today. And let me thank you, once again, for what you do everyday to keep our country safe and strong. Our country is forever indebted to you for your selfless devotion, courage and patriotism.
May Gold bless you. And may God bless America.
# # #
| 
