Here at SaveCharityHospital.com, we've been heartened by the common ground being forged by folks from the left and right sides of the political aisle on this issue. People from all over the ideological spectrum have raised reservations about the proposed LSU/VA medical complex -  from its price tag to its impact on the residents of the neighborhood.

State Representative Rick Nowlin, a Republican from Natchitoches has proposed a pragmatic, good governance bill that offers some smart protections for state taxpayers, the residents of Lower Mid-City, and New Orleanians wary of yet another broken promise of 'cranes on the skyline.'

You can read the whole bill for yourself here.

Rep. Nowlin's HB 780 doesn't demand a preference for-or-against Charity Hospital or for-or-against the proposed LSU/VA complex. What it offers is a simple but critical safeguard against irresponsible, irreversible, and premature demolitions of  our neighbors' homes. By barring the expropriation of private property without legislative approval of a financing plan for the completion of a potential new hospital, HB 780 assures that Lower Mid-City residents will be sacrificing their homes for a hospital and not just an empty lot. It also protects against taxpayers who would be on the hook for funding shortfalls if demolition moves forward without guaranteed money for construction.

The bill is such a no-brainer, common-sense measure that the language of the law itself might be simpler than our attempts to summarize it!

H.B. 780 states that the LSU Board of Supervisors...

"shall be prohibited from purchasing any immovable property, through act of sale or expropriation, which is related ot the development of any replacement for the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans until a financing proposal for the completion of this replacement has been reviewed and approved by the Join Legislative Committee on the Budget."

Sounds 100% reasonable to us!

Vote yes!