Local Legislators to Play Key Roles

Lawmakers from East Baton Rouge Parish will chair only two standing committees in the new Louisiana Legislature but will serve as members of a number of key committees.

Sen. Dan Claitor will serve as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary C Committee, and Sen. Yvonne Colomb will chair the Senate Municipal and Parochial Affairs Committee.

The House Appropriations Committee is perhaps the most powerful committee in the legislature, because it reviews every item in the general appropriations bill and submits the proposed bill to the House of Representatives.

Rep. Franklin Foil of Baton Rouge will serve as Vice Chairman of Appropriations.  He will be joined by two other members of the East Baton Rouge Parish delegation — Reps. Rick Edmonds and Valarie Hodges.

The Senate Finance Committee handles the general appropriations bill in the Senate, which include two EBR legislators — Sens. Regina Barrow and Bodi White.

The tax-writing committee in the Senate, the Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee will include Sens. Dale Erdey of Livingston, Vice Chairman, and Yvonne Colomb of Baton Rouge.  On the House side, the House Ways and Means Committee, which considers proposed tax laws, will include Reps. Paula Davis, Barry Ivey, and Ted James, all of East Baton Rouge.

Rep. Kenny Havard of St. Francisville, who represents part of East Baton Rouge, will chair the House Transportation Committee.

Other important assignments include:

•Sen. Bodi White will serve as Vice Chairman of Senate Commerce and Chairman of the Select Committee on Homeland Security.

•Sen. Regina Barrow will serve as Vice Chairman of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee.

•Sen. Rick Ward, whose district includes parishes adjacent to EBR, will be Chairman of Senate Judiciary A.

• The House Education Committee, which handles all education matters including Common Core, will include Baton Rouge Reps. Steve Carter, Rick Edmonds, Barry Ivey, and Pat Smith, and Livingston Rep. Rogers Pope.  Sen. Bodi White is the only local lawmaker on the Senate Education Committee.

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