The Louisiana Rural Caucus has elected Rep. Bernard LeBas of Ville Platte to lead the 67-member group of legislators this year.
Joining Chairman LeBas in leadership roles are Larry Bagley of Stonewall, vice-chairman, and Rep. Dorothy Sue Hill of Dry Creek, secretary/treasurer.
“We’re the largest membership caucus in the Legislature, representing practically the whole state, outside of metropolitan areas,” LeBas said. “We deal with all kinds of issues, not just those that are agriculture-related.”
As chairman, LeBas appointed seven caucus members to serve with the officers on the Executive Committee: Reps. Andy Anders of Vidalia, John Berthelot of Gonzales, Kenny Cox of Natchitoches, Jerry Gisclair of Larose, Rob Shadoin of Ruston, and Sens. Jim Fannin of Jonesboro and Francis Thompson of Delhi.
LeBas said the officers pledged to serve the constituents of the state, to promote the ideals and objectives of rural Louisiana. Caucus members work to find consensus on common ideas and share solutions that address these issues.
“We all share similar issues in our districts, so it pays to work together to achieve our goals,” he said. “It’s important that we remind legislators who are not from rural areas that we have needs in our districts, too.”