Jones: Use state money for roads

BERWICK — State Rep. Sam Jones told the town council Tuesday that city officials should go to the parish government with their road repair needs because the parish is already getting money through the state.
Jones said the parish has received $40 million from the royalty road fund over the last 10 years to fix roads. The funds could be used for general purposes deemed by the parish, but Jones said that the parish council should use the funds for the purpose of maintaining the roads.
“We can’t let this parish go to gravel. The cities shouldn’t be slighted for a fund that only goes to the parish,” said Jones.
The legislator also said he has pushed to get funding for local infrastructure projects throughout the parish. Jones was able to get $1.5 million for the sewer lift station and water line infrastructure project in Berwick and was able to get $34 million for the maintenance, repair and repainting of the U.S. 90 bridge starting in May 2018 and the La. 182 bridge starting November 2018.
Jones said that the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students scholarship was saved and will be fully funded for the upcoming year.
“That’s a commitment that we are all making. The big struggle across the nation is that there is $1.5 trillion in personal student loan debt,” said Jones. “It is highly unfair for a young person getting out of school at 22 or 23 and the first paycheck that they get, $400-$500 of that has to go to student loans for the next 10 years.”
Jones said he will continue to support full funding for TOPS. Jones also said that the public universities are going to be funded without any cuts for the first time since the first term of former Gov. Bobby Jindal.
Jones said that he supported the Medicaid expansion for the state because it exclusively covered an additional 435,000 working citizens and saved the state $200 million annually.
“Medicaid isn’t the best payer, but it is better than not having insurance at all,” said Jones.
The Medicaid expansion so far produced $1.6 billion in health care industry economic activity for the state.