Jeremy Alford/Lapolitics
House Speaker Taylor Barras was visiting with legislators in Shreveport, Monroe and Alexandria last week and is now making his way around the southeastern corner of Louisiana holding similar meetings..
Soon Barras, a Republican from New Iberia, will have covered the entire state, all in hopes of establishing a foundation for the 2018 legislative year.
Lawmakers who have taken part in the talks say the speaker isn’t putting forth any specific ideas, but rather offering a snapshot of where the state stands today in terms of revenue and what the next year or so might bring.
There has also been some discussions about the benefits of temporary tax revenue versus permanent revenue.
But few in the leadership can say a consensus is actually within reach.
That said, those hoping for true tax and budget reforms aren’t hearing much to get excited about.
In fact, those lawmakers are convinced that the conversation will eventually — sooner than later probably — come back around to either extending the fifth penny that was added to the state sales tax structure last year, or cleaning up the state sales tax structure in an effort to reach a lower rate.
That’s a non-starter for Gov. John Bel Edwards, who has already said he will not entertain those ideas unless they’re attached to significant reforms.
The speaker, for his part, has admitted to his colleagues that any deep-digging reforms could be a “little tricky” in the House in 2018.
Constitution may be issue in 2019
By making it a campaign issue during his first run for the Mansion, former Gov. Edwin Edwards is often credited with giving birth to the 1973-74 constitutional convention.
With that in mind a small group of politicos are having preliminary conversations about generating the same kind of enthusiasm during the 2019 election cycle, when legislative seats will share ballot space with the race for governor.
That could mean a white paper, pledges and general outreach, said constitutional law attorney Scott Sternberg, whose firm has offices in New Orleans and Covington.
“The current constitution hampers elected officials from making the decisions we elect them to make,” he said. “It’s the biggest issue no one is talking about.”
Sternberg said such a drive would certainly focus on fiscal issues only, which is the same approach that has been included in related legislation in recent years.
Villere mum on chair election
There are a handful of chairman candidates asking for the support of members of the Republican State Central Committee, but it’s unlikely that any of them will gain the backing of Roger Villere, the outgoing state chair.
“At this point, no, I’m not getting involved,” Villere said in an interview. “Everyone who is running is a good friend of mine.”
Running the hardest at this very moment are longtime party activist Charlie Buckels of Lafayette, New Orleans attorney Louis Gurvich and Baton Rouge consultant Scott Wilfong.
But with the election scheduled for March of next year, more competition is probably on the way.
In fact, state Rep. Julie Emerson of Carencro announced her candidacy last week.
Other names to watch include state Rep. Barry Ivey of Central and local businessmen Scott McKnight and Derek Babcock.
Political History: Governors in Congress
Louisiana has had 20 governors who were also elected to serve on Capitol Hill, starting with our very first chief executive, William C.C. Claiborne.
Before he became territorial governor in 1803, Claiborne ran for and won a seat to the U.S. House in Tennessee in 1797, making him Louisiana’s only governor to represent another state via federal office.
According to his gravestone, Claiborne was 23-years-old when he was elected to to the House, just two years shy of the constitutionally-required age.
There’s at least one letter from Claiborne to George Washington, who was in his final months as president, where Claiborne vaguely addresses his age without giving up a number.
Despite not being old enough, Claiborne was still sworn into office, replacing a man named Andrew Jackson, who would go on to conquer the Battle of New Orleans and later become president.
There were 12 Louisiana governors overall who were elected to the U.S. House, the most recent being former Gov. Bobby Jindal, who held the post before moving into the Mansion in Baton Rouge.
There were also eight Louisiana governors who likewise were elected to the U.S. Senate, the most recent being Huey P. Long, who held off on taking his seat until he could secure a successor for governor. Long was sworn in as the 1932 congressional session started but was absent more than half of that time.
Three Louisiana governors actually served in both the House and Senate: Henry Johnson, William P. Kellogg and Newton C. Blanchard.
They Said It
“I don’t think there will be anything to pursue.”
— Rep. Thomas Carmody, R-Shreveport, saying there won’t be another bill from him to protect Confederate monuments, in the USA Today Network of Louisiana Papers
“This bill will be remembered a lot longer than the monuments.”
—Rep. Marcus Hunter, D-Monroe, on the same topic, in the USA Today Network of Louisiana Papers
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