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Alexandria, La. (Jan. 31, 2019) – During its Annual Meeting last week, the Louisiana Travel Association (LTA) honored Sen. Sharon Hewitt with the Governmental Friend of Tourism Award for her support of economic development and tourism funding.
Louisiana legislators have been quietly toiling away for more than a year on an exhaustive review of funds in the state budget that are locked up by law. The review of the state's nearly 400 statutory dedications, often referred to as "stat deds" in discussions at the State Capitol, ultimately will prompt a second round of legislation during the session that begins in April. The Legislature approved the first round of eliminations earlier this year. "We're doing a deep dive into funds that for the most part haven't been looked at in a very long time," said Sen. Sharon Hewitt, a Slidell Republican and co-chairwoman of the review committee. "It feels like it's an endless list."
WASHINGTON (December 3, 2018) – Senator Sharon Hewitt (District 1), a veteran deep-water energy engineer, and vanguard for women playing a leadership role in the oil and gas industry, is the embodiment of the Republican State Leadership Committee’s (RSLC) Future Majority Project (FMP) and Right Women, Right Now (RWRN) initiatives.
Louisiana State Senator Sharon Hewitt was awarded National Legislator of the Year by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) at the 2018 States & Nation Policy Summit in Washington, DC. “I’m very humbled and honored to be selected as Legislator of the Year by ALEC,” said Senator Hewitt. “ALEC has been a tremendous resource for me. Their nationally-recognized experts have provided me with data and best practices that have been useful in formulating policies in my state. “
Louisiana politicians are digging in their heels as Mississippi pursues plans for a new reservoir on the Pearl River they fear could harm the Bayou State's ecology. During a meeting at the Louisiana capitol on Thursday, the attorney for a Mississippi flood control district tried to allay fears by emphasizing that the "One Lake" proposal is still in its early phases. We will continue to raise objections at every stage, Sen. Sharon Hewitt, R-Slidell, responded.
Louisiana State Senator Sharon Hewitt discusses some things we need to do to improve the business environment in our state, and talked about the upcoming STEM Summit she is planning for September 7th.
Mark Twain famously said, “Never let truth get in the way of a story.” As the Legislature’s most recent special session closed and Gov. John Bel Edwards joined many in the Legislature in celebratory high-fives, what was left unsaid is just how much government spending, and the taxes we pay, have gone up. When I took the podium minutes before the vote was cast to raise your taxes $460 million, I laid out the facts on why I would vote no.
Local members of the state legislature spoke Thursday to a packed house gathered at Tchefuncta Country Club for what was supposed to be a legislative “wrap-up luncheon” staged by the West St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce. But with the budget for Fiscal Year 2018-19 yet to be approved, the luncheon was more of a chance for six area legislators, all Republicans, to offer their ideas on compromises and to throw a few darts at Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards.
BATON ROUGE, La. (WVLA / WGMB) - Governor John Bel Edwards and legislators continue to look for common ground on how to deal with the proposed budget which features about 600 million dollars in cuts.But some of the republican leadership have questioned whether those cuts are real. Senator Sharon Hewitt, a Republican from Slidell is one of them. She sits on the Finance Committee that was presented to the Governor's proposal back in January. That's when the Senator and the Governor got into a terse exchange. Governor Edwards told Hewitt that he can explain it to her, but that he couldn't understand it for her, to which she responded "That's insulting."
The new year is a time to reflect on the past and resolve to make positive change in the future. As I reflect on an issue that is of utmost importance to many coastal communities — coastal restoration — I am somewhat saddened that the primary solution offered by our state leadership has been to encourage lawyers to file hasty and ill-conceived lawsuits in hopes of a big, quick payday and a potential fill for some budget holes.