State Senate announces committee assignments
Legislative leadership fell into place Wednesday with the divvying up of committee assignments.
In the state Senate, 11 Republicans and six Democrats will serve as chairmen and chairwomen. Nine Republicans and seven Democrats will chair Louisiana House committees. Republicans hold the majorities in both chambers.
Both House Speaker Chuck Kleckley and Senate President John Alario said Wednesday that they factored geographic, political and racial lines into their leadership team decisions.
Gov. Bobby Jindal also likely influenced the choices. “They’re very familiar with the list,” said Alario, R-Westwego, of the Jindal administration.
With the turnover in legislative seats from last year’s election, there was a good deal of upheaval in who will oversee debate on labor, retirement, criminal justice and other issues. Four state representatives and two senators retained the chairmanships of the committees they held in the first Jindal term.
Kleckley, R-Lake Charles, said in a news release that he selected legislators “with a knowledge and understanding of the individual committee’s subject matter as well as leadership skills.”
Kleckley did not return a telephone message left at his home seeking comment.
During a discussion with reporters in his new office, Alario said seniority played a part in some of the chair decisions.
Kleckley’s tapped three Capital Area representatives to chair committees: Steve Carter, R-Baton Rouge, Education; Karen St. Germain, D-Pierre Part, Transportation; and Erich Ponti, R-Baton Rouge, Commerce.
In the Senate, chairmanships went to local senators: Jody Amedee, R-Gonzales, Senate and Governmental Affairs, and Yvonne Dorsey-Colomb, D-Baton Rouge, Local and Municipal.
Carter is getting an important role since the governor has said he wants to revamp public schools this year.
“I’m excited about it. I think I’ve got a great committee and I think the governor has a great agenda for us,” Carter said.
One of the most sought-after jobs was chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, which oversees the state operating budget and other spending legislation.
State Sen. Jack Donahue, R-Mandeville, nabbed the position. Alario said Donahue was among a handful of people who asked for the chairmanship.
“He’s the best man for the job. Jack and I developed a friendship working together on the Finance Committee,” Alario said.
State Rep. Jim Fannin, D-Jonesboro, will remain chairman of the budget-writing House Appropriations Committee. Meanwhile, state Rep. Joel Robideaux, R-Lafayette, takes over the House Ways and Means Committee leadership post.
Robideaux quarreled with the Jindal administration over the selection of Kleckley as House speaker. Robideaux wanted the job for himself. He vowed to battle for the position. Robideaux said he stepped aside when it was clear he did not have enough votes to best Kleckley.
By choosing Robideaux, the committee’s current chairman, state Rep. Hunter Greene, was displaced.
Robideaux said he cleared the air with the governor and asked to be treated fairly. He said he is aligned philosophically with the governor on important issues.
Still, Robideaux said, he was surprised to receive the chairmanship he got. “To say you’re not surprised, to me, would be a pretty arrogant statement,” he said.
Greene, R-Baton Rouge, had his own thorny history with the Jindal administration. He fought to limit the governor’s influence over the construction budget and spearheaded efforts in the House to eliminate the state income tax.
Greene acknowledged there were disagreements and different philosophies. Greene said he wanted to keep chairing the committee.
State Sen. Ben Nevers, D-Bogalusa, lost chairmanship of the Senate Education Committee after clashing with the Jindal administration on education issues. Alario said Jindal wanted someone who is a little friendlier to the governor’s program.
State Sen. Conrad Appel will become chairman of the education committee. Appel, R-Metairie, helped sponsor legislation that the governor supported to merge the University of New Orleans with Southern University at New Orleans.
Nevers will chair the Senate Committee on Judiciary A, which deals with civil law issues. He is the only nonlawyer to chair a Senate judiciary committee. “Ben Nevers is probably the best country lawyer I know,” Alario said.