"VOLUNTEERISM and CITIZEN SERVICE must lead Louisiana's recovery effort." -Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu The Louisiana Serve Commission is pleased to announce Volunteer Louisiana, a website and call center that matches volunteers with service opportunities throughout the state. Visit www.volunteerlouisiana.gov or call 866-286-3835 or 225-342-3070 to find out how you can begin a summer of service.

Quality - Louisiana State Parks 90% of those visiting a Louisiana State Park said their experience exceeded or met their expectations. 99% of the Louisiana State Park visitors agreed or strongly agreed that visiting a state park was a good way to spend time with their family. Source: The Impact of the Louisiana Departm... Learn More >>

MITCH LANDRIEU:
A RECORD OF REFORM & LEADERSHIP

MAKING GOVERNMENT WORK AS THE LT. GOVERNOR

In January 2008, Mitch Landrieu was inaugurated for a second term as Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana. As the Commissioner of the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, Lt. Governor Landrieu manages more than 800 employees and a $165 million budget.

To make government more effective, Lt. Governor Landrieu implemented a new budgeting process focused on results called Budgeting for Outcomes. Rather than taking the previous year's budget and deciding what to cut and what to add, Lt. Governor Landrieu's budgeting approach begins by defining the results the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism is trying to achieve. This new process ensures that funding decisions are made based on results benefiting Louisiana taxpayers and advancing strategic goals. To learn more, see David Osborne's case study, "Transforming the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism."

Lt. Governor Landrieu has managed a significant investment in state parks of more than $35 million - building new cabins, camp sites, and other public facilities. Today, Louisiana has one of the greatest state park systems in the country, contributing to our quality of life and Louisiana's rural economies. Under Landrieu's leadership, our parks are better serving our citizens and visitors - offering wireless internet and selling temporary fishing and hunting licenses on site at state parks.

Leadership to Rebuild Post-Katrina and Rita:  As Lt. Governor, Landrieu is responsible for rebuilding tourism, the state's second largest industry. Immediately after hurricanes Katrina and Rita ravaged southeast and southwest Louisiana, Landrieu brought together industry leaders and national experts to develop a strategic plan, Louisiana Rebirth. As a result of this initiative, the tourism industry is speaking with one voice and hitting the marks established in the strategic plan.

Cultural Economy Initiative:  As part of his creative and entrepreneurial style of governing, Lt. Governor Landrieu launched the Cultural Economy Initiative. This initiative is designed to create jobs through Louisiana's unique culture - our food, music, arts, film and architecture. Louisiana's cultural economy employs more than 140,000 Louisianans. As Lt. Governor, Landrieu set forth objectives and action plans for the economic growth of Louisiana's cultural industries.

Principles of Governing:  Lt. Governor Landrieu's reforms are guided by his five principles of governing: Our diversity is a strength, not a weakness; we must work to expand and diversify Louisiana's economy; we must work regionally to compete globally; we must add value to raw material, native talent and intellectual capital; and, we must set our goals to international standards, not the southern average.

Public Private Partnerships:  As a fiscal conservative and reform-minded leader, Lt. Governor Landrieu believes that bringing together the resources of the public and private sectors in partnership represent the new paradigm for economic development in today's global economy. Public private partnerships can be used as an effective policy tool to transform education, healthcare, poverty, infrastructure, coastal restoration and other areas. Since taking office, Lt. Governor Landrieu has aggressively pursued public-private partnerships with:

• First Lady Laura Bush's Preserve America to invest in rural main street communities;
• America's WETLAND and Shell Oil Company to promote coastal restoration;
• Louisiana National Guard and the Salute our Troops Initiative to deliver 25,000 tons of donated goods to men and women serving in Iraq;
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to rebuild our Louisiana libraries; and
• National Shooting Sports Foundation and Project Childsafe to distribute over 500,000 free gun safety locks and prevent tragic accidents.

Social Entrepreneurship:  Lt. Governor Landrieu launched the Office of Social Entrepreneurship, the first of its kind in the nation. "Social Entrepreneurship" uses cutting-edge business models to address social problems. The establishment of this office positions Louisiana as the most hospitable place in the nation for those testing new models for social innovation.

RECORD OF REFORM IN THE LEGISLATURE

Landrieu served in the Louisiana House of Representatives for sixteen years, representing the 89th district in the Broadmoor neighborhood of New Orleans from 1987 - 2003. In describing Landrieu's legislative record, the New Orleans Gambit wrote in 1994, "Mitch Landrieu's career is a study in the fight for reform." As a leader of the "Young Turks," Landrieu advocated a non-partisan approach to governing focused on results.

Reforming State Government:  In 1988, Landrieu chaired a commission that worked to consolidate the offices of registrar of conveyances, recorder of mortgages and custodian of notarial archives. As a legislator in 1993, he pushed legislation to consolidate New Orleans' seven assessors' offices into one. In 2000, Landrieu was appointed to the House Select Committee on Fiscal Affairs charged with identifying cost savings in state government.

Landrieu advocated for ethics reform legislation, including bills strengthening state ethics law enforcement and bills regulating lobbyists and campaign contributions.

Fiscally Conservative Reforms:  In 1993, Landrieu shepherded through the House a constitutional amendment designed to limit Louisiana's debt. In 1993, he led a coalition to restructure government instead of cutting healthcare programs and raising fees. In 1999, Landrieu led an effort to have the state's $4.4 billion tobacco settlement placed into a trust, allowing the Legislature to only allocate the interest earned every year. In 2001, Landrieu advocated a tax overhaul in lieu of taxes on gambling. He criticized the state's dependence on taxing industries like gambling and oil and gas to fund services. Instead, Landrieu called for a complete tax system overhaul. In 1996, Landrieu supported a failed bill that would have put the revenue from video poker and riverboat gambling into a trust fund for state colleges. Landrieu fundamentally disagreed with Louisiana's policy of using gambling revenue to plug holes in the budget.

Leading Juvenile Justice Reform Movement:  Since 2002, Landrieu has led the fight to reform the state's juvenile justice system. Landrieu pushed legislation to close the notorious Tallulah prison and established a committee to plan a new agency to oversee the state's juvenile justice programs. Landrieu remains at the forefront of this important reform as the Chair of the Juvenile Justice Commission.

Stimulating Economic Growth:  Landrieu's work as a legislator on the House Ways and Means Committee helped make possible the construction of major economic development projects in New Orleans - including the Morial Convention Center expansion, the New Orleans Arena, the National D-Day Museum as well as improvements to the Contemporary Arts Center and the Children's Museum.

Driving Bio Tech Initiatives:  Landrieu pushed initiatives to build the state's biotechnology and biomedical research institutions. Landrieu sponsored legislation to fund biotechnology research by increasing the cigarette tax. Landrieu crafted legislation to fund the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium of New Orleans, a partnership between the Louisiana State University and Tulane University Health Sciences Centers. The cancer center will house state-of-the-art cancer research equipment and laboratories. In 2001, Landrieu authored legislation that allows health facilities in New Orleans to issue bonds for Cancer Research Centers.

Sports and Economic Development:  In 2002, Landrieu worked to bring the Hornets to New Orleans. A key element of the agreement with the Hornets was a revenue stream to subsidize facility maintenance from discretionary funds that Legislators previously used for pet projects. His efforts demonstrated a strong ability to build consensus in the Legislature and land nationally competitive economic development deals.

Pushing for Education Reform:  In 1999, Landrieu supported a proposal to change the selection of the Orleans Parish school board from election to appointment by the Mayor. Looking to national best practices, Landrieu argued that Baltimore and Chicago had tremendous success in giving the mayor control of schools.

BIOGRAPHY

Education:  Landrieu attended Jesuit High School in New Orleans and Catholic University in Washington, D.C., where he majored in political science and theatre. He earned his law degree from Loyola University Law School in New Orleans. Landrieu is trained in mediation and negotiation by the Harvard Law School Negotiation Project, the American Arbitration Association, and the Attorney Mediator's Institute.

Career:  Mitch Landrieu practiced law for fifteen years and served as president of International Mediation & Arbitration, Ltd. He is a member of the Supreme Court Task Force on Alternative Dispute Resolution, which was responsible for developing the pilot mediation program in Orleans Parish. He has also taught alternative dispute resolution as an adjunct professor at Loyola University Law School.

Family:  Mitch and Cheryl recently celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary. They are the proud parents of five children: Grace, Emily, Matthew, Benjamin and William.