Rep. Alan Seabaugh, as he questions the germaneness of HB-12, authored by Rep. Walt Leger, of the Second Special Session.
In our previous feature, we went to excruciating lengths to demonstrate that the Louisiana Senate, and most especially Sen. Dan Claitor, R-Baton Rouge, failed to exercise even a modicum of bill scrutiny by not even questioning the constitutionality of HB-12 authored by Walt Leger in the most recent special session.
We singled Claitor out because, as explained in the preceding post, Sen. Claitor actually litigated a previous Act of the Legislature when it became readily apparent it was unconstitutional based upon an amendment’s germaneness and the bill having multiple objects.
Since Sen. Claitor has such past experience, one would have thought he would have severe reservations about HB-12. Apparently, he did not.
We also singled Claitor out because, days prior to him opting to file litigation in 2014 over the constitutionality of the “Edmonson Amendment,” and months before the late C. B. Forgotson convinced Sound Off Louisiana founder Robert Burns to form a video blog, C. B. also strongly urged Burns to conduct a one-on-one interview with Claitor about the Edmonson Amendment. Burns did so, and Sen. Claitor didn’t mince words entailing the problematic nature of the amendment. Despite all this presumed knowledge on Claitor’s part, his name appears prominently among the 32 Louisiana Senators supporting the measure.
Rep. Seabaugh has now gone to great lengths to explain his actions of Monday night. Being blunt, his commentary ought to be required reading for all students in Louisiana high school and college history classes, high school civics classes, and most certainly college political science classes!
With that in mind, we believe it’s time to highlight all 63 members of the Louisiana House of Representatives who chose to openly defy Rep. Seabaugh’s admonitions about constitutionality, the reinforcement thereof by Louisiana House Speaker Taylor Barras, and (by inference) the legal opinion of Louisiana House Clerk Alfred “Butch” Speer (who most assuredly gave Speaker Barras the guidance of how to handle Seabaugh’s question).
Before we do that, however, let’s provide what may likely be the shortest video of any Sound Off Louisiana post and show our subscribers a brief clip of Seabaugh’s challenging the germaneness of the bill and House Speaker Taylor Barras’ commentary thereafter:
Seabaugh poses question of germaneness of Louisiana Senate amendments to HB-12 and Speaker Barras provides an answer.
Now, we are about to itemize off the 63 members of the House of Representatives who openly defied the guidance depicted in the video above and voted in favor of HB-12; however, let’s make one point first.
Not content with one bite at the apple entailing a bill that would almost assuredly be judged unconstitutional in the courts, as the clock literally was ready to expire on the entire session Monday night, a motion was made to reconsider the measure. Who made it? Well, that would be Rep. Julie Stokes, whose quest for becoming Louisiana’s next Secretary of State now appears to be a complete joke.
Why do we say that? Well, the bill would have needed to pick up seven more votes to pass. Clearly, Stokes, whose name ironically won’t appear itemized below because she requested that her vote be officially changed from “yes” to “no” for the sole purpose of becoming a member of the prevailing side (thus enabling her to have the ability to request reconsideration), would have been one of those seven, thus making the deficit only six (as it actually was mere seconds after the vote and before Stokes requested the vote change entailing her own vote).
However, for Stokes to openly taunt Seabaugh in the manner we are about to present in the following brief video clip as if it were a pickup basketball game and she’s yelling and pointing “it’s on you, buddy” as if to be calling Seabaugh for a personal foul in the basketball game, is simply beyond the pale!
Stokes’ act of taunting someone trying to save Louisiana from needless litigation over a bill with clear constitutional challenges, at least in our minds, makes her abjectly unqualified to serve as our next Louisiana Secretary of State. Here’s Stokes’ performance for those who may perhaps be more forgiving of it than us:
Rep. Julie Stokes’ open taunting of Rep. Alan Seabaugh.
All right folks. We now shamefully present to you the 63 members of the House of Representatives who voted in favor of HB-12 on its initial vote prior to the second video clip above:
CLICK HERE to ascertain whom your Louisiana State Representative and Louisiana Senator are if you’re not sure. All you have to do is supply the brief requested information. Thereafter, you can request your polling location and also whom your elected officials are. When the list comes up, simply observe your Louisiana State Representative and your Louisiana Senator. Then all you have to do is see if that Representative or that Senator’s name and photo appear below as having voted to blatantly ignore Louisiana’s Constitution and cast a vote in support of Rep. Walt Leger’s bill as hijacked and made unconstitutional by Sen. J. P. Morrell:
(Red = Representative is term-limited and cannot run for re-election in 2019).
Rep. Mark Abraham, R-Lake Charles,
District 36
Phone: (337) 475-3016 [email protected]
Declared a member of AFP’s taker’s dozen.
Rep. John Anders, D-Vidalia
District 21
Phone: (318) 336-5865 [email protected]
Rep. James Arms, III, D-Leesville
District 30
Phone: (337) 238-7004 [email protected]
Rep. Larry Bagley, R-Stonewall
District 7
Phone: (318)925-9588 [email protected]
Rep. John Bagneris, D-New Orleans
District 100
Phone: (504) 243-7783 [email protected]
Rep. Robert Billot, D-Westwego
District 83
Phone: (504) 436-8929 [email protected]
Rep. Joseph Bouie, Jr., D-New Orleans
District 97
Phone: (504) 285-1033 [email protected]
Rep. Ken Brass, D-Vacherie
District 58
Phone: (225) 265-9005 [email protected]
Rep. Chad Brown, D-Plaquemine
District 60
Phone: (225) 687-2410 [email protected]
Rep. Terry Brown, I-Colfax
District 22
Phone: (855) 261-6566 [email protected]
Rep. Thomas Carmody, R-Shreveport
District 6
Phone: (318) 862-9956 [email protected]
Rep. Barbara Carpenter D-Baton Rouge
District 63
Phone: (225) 771-5674 [email protected]
Rep. Gary Carter D-New Orleans
District 102
Phone: (504) 361-6600 [email protected]
Rep. Robby Carter, D-Amite
District 72
Phone: (985)748-2245 [email protected]
Rep. Steve Carter, R-Baton Rouge
District 68
Phone: (225)362-5305 [email protected]
Rep. Charles Chaney, R-Rayville
District 19
Phone: (318)728-5875 [email protected]
Rep. Patrick Connick, R-Marrero
District 84
Phone: (504)371-0240 [email protected]
Rep. Kenny Cox, D-Natchitoches
District 23
Phone: (855) 844-8583 [email protected]
Rep. Greg Cromer, R-Slidell
District 90
Phone: (985) 645-3592 [email protected]
Rep. Royce Duplesis D-New Orleans
District 93
Phone: (504) 568-2740 [email protected]
Rep. Franklin Foil, R-Baton Rouge
District 70
Phone: (225) 342-6777 [email protected]
Rep. A. B. Franklin D-Lake Charles
District 34
Phone: (337) 491-2320 [email protected]
Rep. Randal Gaines, D-LaPlace
District 57
Phone: (985) 652-1228 [email protected]
Rep. Jerry Gisclair, D-LaRose
District 54
Phone: (985)798-7707 [email protected]
Rep. John E. “Johnny” Guinn, R-Jennings
District 37
Phone: (337) 824-0376 [email protected]
Rep. Jeffrey Hall, D-Alexandria
District 26
Phone: (318) 487-5661 [email protected]
Rep. Jimmy Harris, D-New Orleans
District 99
Phone: (504) 243-1960 [email protected]
Rep. Kenny Havard, R-Jackson
District 62
Phone: (225) 634-7470 [email protected]
Rep. Lowell “Chirs” Hazel, R-Pineville
District 27
Phone: (318)767-6082 [email protected]
Rep. Stephanie Hilferty, R-Metairie
District 94
Phone: (504) 885-4154 [email protected]
Rep. Dorothy Hill, D-Dry Creek
District 32
Phone: (800)259-2118 [email protected]
Rep. Frank Hoffmann, R-West Monore
District 15
Phone: (318)362-4130 [email protected]
Rep. Frank Howard, R-Many
District 24
Phone: (318) 256-4135 [email protected]
Rep. Marcus Hunter, D-Monroe
District 17
Phone: (318) 362-3440 [email protected]
Rep. Katrina Jackson, D-Monroe
District 16
Phone: (318) 343-2877 [email protected]
Rep. Ted James, D-Baton Rouge
District 101
Phone: (225) 343-3633 [email protected]
Rep. Patrick Jefferson D-Homer
District 11
Phone: (318) 927-2519 [email protected]
Rep. Sam Jenkins, D-Shreveport
District 2
Phone: (318) 632-5970 [email protected]
Rep. Robert Johnson, D-Marksville
District 28
Phone: (318) 253-8891 [email protected]
Rep. Sam Jones, D-Franklin
District 50
Phone: (337) 828-7778 [email protected]
Rep. Edmond Jordan, D-Baton Rouge
District 29
Phone: (225) 359-9480 [email protected]
Rep. Terry Landry, Sr., D-New Iberia
District 96
Phone: (337) 373-9380 [email protected]
Rep. H. Bernard LeBas, D-Ville Platte
District 38
Phone: (337)363-0152 [email protected]
Rep. Walt Leger, III D-New Orleans
District 91
Phone: (504) 556-9970 [email protected]
Rep. Christopher Leopold, R-Belle Chase
District 105
Phone: (504)393-5649 [email protected]
Rep. Rodney Lyons, D-Harvey
District 87
Phone: (504) 510-5417 [email protected]
Rep. Tanner Magee, R-Houma
District 53
Phone: (985) 858-2970 [email protected]
Rep. Denise Marcelle, D-Baton Rouge
District 61
Phone: (225) 359-9362 [email protected]
Rep. Joseph Marino, I-Gretna
District 85
Phone: (504) 361-6013 [email protected]
Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro
District 13
Phone: (318) 259-4275 [email protected]
Rep. Dustin Miller D-Opelousas
District 40
Phone: (337) 943-2900 [email protected]
Rep. Barbara Norton, D-Shreveport
District 26
Phone: (318) 632-5887 [email protected]
Rep. Vincent Pierre D-Lafayette
District 44
Phone: (337) 262-2330 [email protected]
Rep. J. Rogers Pope, R-Denham Springs
District 71
Phone: (225) 667-3588 [email protected]
Rep. Steve Pylant, R-Winnsboro
District 26
Phone: (318) 435-7313 [email protected]
Rep. Eugene Reynolds, D-Minden
District 10
Phone: (318)371-3092 [email protected]
SEAT NOW VACANT
Rep. Jerome “Dee” Richard, I-Thibodaux
District 55
Phone: (985) 447-0999 [email protected]
Rep. Robert Shadoin, R-Ruston
District 12
Phone: (318) 251-5038 [email protected]
Declared a member of AFP’s taker’s dozen.
Rep. Patricia Smith D-Baton Rouge
District 67
Phone: (225) 342-7106 [email protected]
Rep. Joseph Stagni, R-Kenner
District 92
Phone: (504) 465-3479 [email protected]
Rep. Major Thibaut, D-New Roads
District 18
Phone: (225) 638-3811 [email protected]
Rep. Malinda White, D-Bogalusa
District 75
Phone: (985) 730-2147 [email protected]
Rep. Jerome Zeringue, R-Houma
District 52
Phone: (985) 876-8823 [email protected]
Final tally by party affiliation:
Democrat 38
Independent 3
Republican 22
TOTAL 63 (there were 41 “no” votes)
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