Filed Under:  Local

Landry, Temple want to put $15 million more toward homeowner roof upgrades

11th March 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Julie O’Donoghue
Contributing Writer

(lailluminator.com) — Gov. Jeff Landry and Insurance Com-missioner Tim Temple intend to put $15 million more toward roof fortification grants for homeowners, according to the governor’s budget staff.

The program will also retain $5 million that has gone unused in its current budget year, which ends June 30. The extra $15 million, which will be available for the fiscal year starting July 1, will bring total funding for roof fortifications to $20 million in Landry’s budget proposal.

“I have received support for fully funding the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program from everyone I’ve spoken with, from Governor Landry and state legislators to policyholders and folks in the insurance industry,” Temple said in a statement released on Thursday of last week. “I am confident that a total of at least $20 million will be allocated to the program during the legislative session for use in the next fiscal year.”

Last year, former Gov. John Bel Edwards and lawmakers put $30 million into the same program, though only $25 million ended up being spent.

Landry and state lawmakers could also increase the roof fortification allocation beyond the proposed $20 million during the regular legislative session that begins Monday (March 11). The state’s next budget is expected to be finalized by early June.

The Louisiana Fortify Homes program began in earnest last fall, when the state insurance department first started accepting grant applications. Lawmakers sought to help approximately 3,000 households strengthen their primary residences.

This article originally published in the March 11, 2024 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.

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