YOUNGSVILLE, La. (KLFY) – U.S. Senator John Kennedy and staff from the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship met in Youngsville on Thursday, for a hearing on growth opportunities for Acadiana businesses.

The hearing also focused on farmers in the rice, shrimp and sugarcane industries.

He focused on how important agriculture and seafood are to the state’s economy, especially in rural and coastal parishes throughout Louisiana.

“Seafood producers and farmers are a huge part of the Louisiana economy, and it’s more than just dollars and cents and money,” said Senator Kennedy.

The senator sits on the Small Business Committee in the Senate, and today he found out more about the problems farmers and small business owners face. He says the agriculture and seafood industries have been hit hard by the regulatory hurdles from Washington.

“I’m not saying they’re all bad, we need some reasonable regulations, but some of them are just down to the marrow bone deep stupid,” said Kennedy.

Agriculture in the state of Louisiana has an economic impact of nearly $11 billion, and seafood production is more than $2.4 billion. He believes that tax cuts would help these business owners and give them a break, as well as help with expansion and job growth.

“I think people can spend their money better than the federal government can, and the reason that the government is growing faster than our economy is that they’re overtaxing our people, they’re overtaxing our businesses,” said Kennedy.

Senator Kennedy says that he will take these ideas and issues back to his colleagues in Congress to try and fix some of these problems through legislation, which he believes will ultimately help the economy in the state.

“The shrimpers, the crawfishermen, the rice producers, the sugarcane farmers, that’s a big part of our economy, that’s a big part of our culture. This is Louisiana, it’s part of our quality of life. And in the U.S. Senate, I want to do everything I can to help them if possible,” said Kennedy.

He also has some ideas on how to jump start the nation’s economy as well.

“I got 3 things on my mind; economic growth, jobs and more take home pay, and that is the only thing that is going to get this economy moving again,” he said.

Kennedy also chimed in on the health care debate, saying that he will vote again to repeal Obamacare the next time it comes up in the Senate, saying, “We’ll get it next time.”