When Gov. Jindal's away, who's the boss?

Second-in-command Dardenne ‘never’ notified

“The Governor  remains the Governor wherever he is.” SHANNON BATES,   Jindal’s press secretary

When Gov. Bobby Jindal is traveling out of state, Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne technically becomes governor.

But Dardenne never knows when that happens because Jindal isn’t sharing his travel schedule with him.

Jindal has been out-of-state more than 25 percent of the time since May campaigning for Republican presumptive presidential nominee Mitt Romney, raising money for GOP causes and candidates, and participating in conferences.

From May 3 through Thursday, Jindal has traveled to New Jersey, Alabama, Oklahoma, North Carolina, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Virginia, Illinois, West Virginia, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, D.C., Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington state. He was gone 20 days during the 73-day period, according to Governor’s Office news releases.

Louisiana faced major budget balancing woes during the 2012 legislative session, which ended June 4. Fiscal problems continue to dominate state government because of a congressional decision last month that reduced by nearly $860 million for Medicaid that Jindal had expected to balance the state’s budget.

In response to a written question posed to the governor about why he did not notify Dardenne when he leaves Louisiana, Shannon Bates, Jindal’s press secretary, replied in an email: “The press office sends a note out to press when the Governor leaves the state. The Governor remains the Governor wherever he is.”

Article IV, Section 19 of the Louisiana Constitution states: “When the governor is temporarily absent from the state, the lieutenant governor shall act as governor.”

“Since I’ve been lieutenant governor, I’ve never received any notification that he was traveling out-of-state,” said Dardenne, who has been in the job since late 2010. “I’m not whining about this or kicking and screaming. It’s in response to your inquiry” about days Jindal has been out-of-state.

“From a policy and protocol standpoint, it would be nice to know in case I need to be called into service,” Dardenne said.

Not notifying the lieutenant governor is a departure from past governors’ practice.

Former Govs. Kathleen Blanco and Mike Foster said they informed the lieutenant governors who served during their terms when they left the state.

“It’s just good for the lieutenant governor to have that conscious level of awareness,” Blanco said Thursday.

“The lieutenant governor would not be making big decisions,” she said.

Blanco was both recipient of the notices from Foster when she served as lieutenant governor and issuer of them later as governor with Mitch Landrieu as lieutenant governor.

“We were aware of it and we always did it,” Foster said Thursday. “We did it out of courtesy.” Foster said there weren’t many notifications because of his infrequent out-of-state travel.

Foster added: “In this day of communication it really doesn’t make much difference where you are.”

Blanco said the notice is important because “technically the lieutenant governor becomes the governor. On a side note — though I never collected it — the lieutenant governor is supposed to be paid at the same salary level (as the governor during the time),” Blanco said.

When the terrorist attacks happened on Sept. 11, 2001, then-Gov. Foster was out of state attending a Southern Governors’ Association conference. Blanco was lieutenant governor at the time.

“Everyone was apprehensive,” Blanco recalled, “There was a high level of anxiety. I felt very strongly that the people of Louisiana needed to know that we were going to be OK. Mike couldn’t get back. He was working very hard. He got caught in circumstances.”

Both Blanco and Dardenne said they remember times when governors and lieutenant governors took it a step further when both were going to be out of state and notified the third-ranking state official — the secretary of state — in case something happened.

Dardenne said Landrieu called him once when he was secretary of state to tell him both Blanco and he would be traveling outside Louisiana at the same time.

Blanco recalls it happening when both she and Foster were going to be gone. “I was on the way to the airport. I picked up the phone and called (Secretary of State) Fox McKeithen and said ‘By the way, you are going to be governor,’ ” Blanco said.

Comments

1) Comment by nolalawyer - 13/07/2012

Article IV, Section 19 of the Louisiana Constitution provides: "When the governor is temporarily absent from the state, the lieutenant governor shall act as governor. When any other statewide elected official is temporarily absent from the state, the appointed first assistant shall act in his absence." We had telephones in 1974 when the current constitution was adopted; if the Constitutional Convention had intended for the lieutenant governor to act as governor only if the governor couldn't be reached, different language would have been used -- in fact, the statutory provision which sets forth the order of succession of power if both the governor and lieutenant governor are temporarily absent from the state, La. R.S. 49:206, is limited to situations where "neither can be contacted as a result of the existence of an emergency situation. . . ". Every time the governor leaves the state, the lieutenant governor shall act as governor. Period. Our constitution didn't provide an exception for a governor who decides to shirk his responsibilities so he will have more free time to pursue his personal ambitions. In fact, it was once common practice for the lieutenant governor to receive additional pay for the days when the governor was absent -- I understand that it wouldn't be politically wise for Dardenne to ask for this money however. But make no mistake about it -- Jay Dardenne is required to act as governor as soon as Jindal departs Louisiana on his way to a political function in Nebraska or some such other thing which costs us a fortune in his security expenses while providing a return only to Little Bobby.

2) Comment by IMVOR - 13/07/2012

Just to clarify. Congress didn't "decide" to slash Louisiana Medicaid dollars. JINDAL "decided" to reject federal dollars by refusing to expand Medicaid in a state where nearly a third of the population are uninsured and no one argues that Louisiana is a "poor" state. Louisiana's fiscal problems can be laid directly at the door of the Governor and Louisiana legislature. Jindal has created these problems himself. Blaming the federal government is not going to fix any of them.

3) Comment by KBronson - 13/07/2012

Some seem not to remember the events of 9/11/2001 when cell phones and other communications were disrupted. The local authorities are the ones immediately responsible for the health of welfare of the public in the event of natural disasters, major industrial mishaps, and terrorist attacks. May I remind the readers how confusion about who was responsible delayed a timely succor to the inhabitants of New Orleans after Katrina. It is the governor who is responsible for commanding the local resources such as the state police and national guard to respond to an emergency which may itself interfere with return and communications. This is irresponsible, irrespective of which party the officeholders belong to, or what unfounded aspersions trolls wish to cast on them.

4) Comment by Cousin Dave - 13/07/2012

The problem is Dardenne, who would likely reshuffle the budget in Gov. Jindal's absence to make money available for his tourist TV ads and lavish trips tp places like Hollywood and NYC. I guarentee that if a tea party favorite like Billy Nungesser was Lt. Gov., we wouldn't have a problem. Nungesser for Governor in 2015,

5) Comment by markedwardmarchiafava - 13/07/2012

Hasn't anyone noticed government and the egotistical people who permeate government ARE the problem? After all these decades, why continue to look to it / them for the solutions? Einstein referred to that approach as insanity.

6) Comment by Chrilter - 13/07/2012

You are correct Vox Rationis, Some people do not understand that not only is it Jindal's constitutional responsibility to notify the second in command of his absence, but it should also be a public obligation for the Governor of a state to notify the people of where he is going and what he is doing. Little bobby is really becoming more and more like ole Huey P everyday. More secrets, coercion, blatant swipes at the Louisiana Constitution. But of course, little bobby thinks the Constitution is merely a piece of paper with some inconvenient words on it rather than a binding document that dictates his actions while in office.

7) Comment by Vox Rationis - 13/07/2012

I'm sure the fact that if Jindal notified Dardenne it would create a public record of his trips out of the state has nothing to do with him failing to do so. [Sarcasm]

8) Comment by Being_Stupid - 13/07/2012

Just because you are outside the state, does not necessarily mean you are absent from the state. Last time I checked, the year was 2012, not 1912 or 1812. We have invented some devices called airplanes, helicopters, cellphones, computers, and the internet (thanks to Al Gore) which allows people to work and get the job done while not physically being at the workplace.

9) Comment by timesright - 13/07/2012

EXCELLENT story! Follow the Constitution, Gov. Jindal! True, the governor might be only a cell phone, twitter or e-mail away when he is out of state campaigning for other GOP candidates and himself, but a state Constitution is what it is.

10) Comment by Chrilter - 13/07/2012

I wonder if little bobby is reimbursing the state of Louisiana for the security we are providing him to travel to all these places. I know he pays for the travel itself but I recall a news story from a few months back that the LSPD has a large hole where money is supposed to be because they had to cover expenses for little bobby to go jet setting around the country with NO connection to official business of Louisiana

11) Comment by bourbon-soda - 13/07/2012

The Advocate and other state newspapers do allocate a lot of resources and front page footage to proctoscopy of Jindal. I hope we don't don't have to go through the expense of a constitutional amendment to establish that absence ain't what it used to be. I think Edwin Edwards averred several times to the effect that punching a clock was not part of being governor.

12) Comment by BRmoderate - 13/07/2012

The constitution IS a living document....meaning it can be amended .....My question is "How many of our tax dollars have been spent to accomodate Jindal's traveling for political purposes???" Why has The Advocate not looked into it? Jindal pushes every state agency to their budgetary limits and yet his office seems to live pretty high on the hog

13) Comment by RationalOne - 13/07/2012

Yep, lovemykids nailed it. If it's in the state constitution, then Dardenne should be notified when Bobby leaves the state. But Bobby's totally incompetent with every other aspect of his job, so why would this be any different? In fact, it's probably better for the state when he's out of state and nobody's running the show!

14) Comment by spqr - 13/07/2012

You are all missing the point. Only God can replace a diety like Piyush.

15) Comment by spqr - 13/07/2012

You are all missing the point. Only God can replace a diety like Piyush.

16) Comment by WhoCares - 13/07/2012

I am.

17) Comment by DMJ - 13/07/2012

It's election season, folks. I wish we did what the British do - 6 weeks of publicly financed campaigns. No super PACs, no governor spending 25% sucking up to Mitt Romney, no President attending a record number of fundraisers and STILL raising less than his opponent...

18) Comment by bourbon-soda - 13/07/2012

The Louisiana, like the federal, Constitution is a living document, to be interpreted in the context of the times. I thought Progressives were all about that. With modern communications, there is no longer any such thing as being "absent."

19) Comment by markedwardmarchiafava - 13/07/2012

I can answer the headline's question. It's the same person who's in charge when Bobby "Jump Ship" Jindal is in town: we the people.

20) Comment by lovemykids - 13/07/2012

Granted Jindal could probably do his job from almost anywhere in the world, but if it's in the state constitution it's the law. That should be the end of the story. Jindal is rude and arrogant.

21) Comment by Cousin Dave - 13/07/2012

Hogwash! This story was planted by Dardenne. He wants to be the first Jewish governor in Louisiana, and this is the only way he can do it...even if it's only for a few hours or days. Gov. Jindal obviously doesn't trust him, and neither do I. That's because he is a Republican in name only.

22) Comment by gary - 13/07/2012

Mr. T, why attack Mr. Dardene - he was just answering a question that was asked - at least he responds to reporters questions.

23) Comment by Mr. T - 13/07/2012

Fact is that in this age of cell phones and video conferencing, Governor Jindal is never very far away, even when he travels out of state. Sounds like Mr. Dardenne needs something to do!