FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 10, 2006
RELEASE CONTACT: Lewis Lowe
985-369-7770

La Place, La.- Congressman Charlie Melancon hosted his second community dinner in La Place on Friday night. The dinner, held outside of the Melancon headquarters at 425 W. Airline Hwy., was a chance for St. John and St. Charles Parish residents to meet and hear Congressman Melancon talk about issues and answer questions from the audience.

Over 150 people attended the event and were treated to jambalaya prepared by St. John Councilman Allen St. Pierre. Congressman Melancon addressed some of the most important issues facing the River Parishes and south Louisiana. Topics discussed included social security, health care, offshore oil royalty sharing, and the Lake Ponchartrain levee systems for St. Charles and St. John Parishes.

"We should already get money from offshore oil royalties," Melancon said. "Louisiana provides 30% of our domestic energy and we have special needs because of this. We deserve the money."

In his first term, Melancon has been an advocate for hurricane victims and has constantly fought to bring relief money to the state. Most recently, the congressman was instrumental in passing Outer Continental Shelf drilling legislation, which could bring $9 billion to Louisiana over the next 10 years to help the state restore its vanishing coast.

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