New Districts for Central

By Woody Jenkins • Editor, Central City News — The Louisiana Legislature has given final approval to bills reapportioning the Louisiana Senate and a separate bill reapportioning the Louisiana House of Representatives. The bills won with the support of every Republican in both bodies. Bills also passed to reapportion Louisiana’s six Congressional districts, Louisiana Supreme Court, Public Service Commission, and Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE).

The City of Central is currently served by one state senator, Sen. Bodi White (R-Central) and two state representatives, Reps. Valarie Hodges (R-Central and Watson) and Barry Ivey (R-Central).  All three legislators are term-limited and all three voted for both the House and Senate reapportionment plans.  White’s Senate District 6 eliminated the southwestern part of Tangipahoa and added the eastern part of Livingston. 

Rep. Valarie Hodges will have the option of running for the State Senate, either in Senate District 6 represented by Bodi White, or Senate District 13, currently represented by Sen. Rogers Pope, who is term-limited in the Senate. This Senate district includes most of the heavily populated areas of Livingston Parish from Watson to Denham Springs to Walker.

The boundaries of Central’s two House districts have changed.  House District 64, currently represented by Hodges looses its Central precincts but adds the Pride, Baywood, and Chaneyville areas north of Central.  It will maintain the Watson area of Livingston Parish.  

House District 65, currently represented by Rep. Barry Ivey, will now include all of Central and lose many of its precincts in Baton Rouge.  

Central will continue to be the heart of Sen. Bodi White’s Senate District 6.  It would be difficult for candidates from southeast Baton Rouge or eastern Livingston Parish to win the seat over a candidate from Central.

Bodi White served 12 years in the House and will have 12 years in the Senate.  Under the Constitution, he could choose to run for his old seat in the House, HD65.

Now it is up to Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards to decide what to do next. He could sign, veto, or take no action on the reapportionment bills. If he signs a bill or takes no action, the bill will become law. If he vetoes a bill, it will be dead unless both houses override the veto with a two-thirds’ majority. 

A veto of either the House or Senate reapportionment bills seems unlikely, because they could be overridden due to widespread support of the bills in both houses. Vetoes of any of the other reapportionment bills are more likely to be sustained. 

The vote for the House reapportionment bill was 82-21 in the House.  Supporters of the plan said sacrifices were necessary to create a plan that is constitutional but increases the number of districts likely to be won by Republicans statewide.

The House could gain as many as four additional Republican seats across the state, while the Senate could gain one Republican seat.