Tri-parish delegation sworn into state offices

Eight elected officials from the Tri-parish region were among 144 members of the Louisiana Legislature to officially take office at noon on Monday during swearing-in ceremonies in Baton Rouge.

With two political newcomers and six returning members of the state House and Senate, the delegation representing Lafourche, St. Mary and Terrebonne parishes said that coastal restoration, education and highway development top their list of priorities as they open a tenure that runs from 2012 to 2016, and prepare for the first regular session of their terms on March 2 through June 4.

State Senate, District 20

Norby Chabert, R-Houma

Confirming that the 2012 legislative session will be burdened with budgetary battles that carry over from the previous Legislature, state Sen. Norby Chabert contends that this is the year constituents expect to see more action than rhetoric.

“I’m looking forward to a productive four years,” he said. “We’re going to have our work cut out for us, but we have a good delegation and we’re getting some prime committee assignments that will benefit our area.”

Chabert is expected to return to the natural resources and environment committee, where he was vice chairman last year. He will also serve on committees for coastal restoration, commerce, consumer protection and international affairs. Chabert is expected to maintain chairmanship of the Senate Select Committee for Education.

Chabert has also been asked to serve as vice chairman of the Senate finance committee, which is one of the top eight positions in the entire Legislature. “I’m humbled that the leadership in the Senate believes I am ready to serve in such a capacity during such trying times,” he said.

“I’m not a big bill filer,” Chabert said regarding plans to bring legislation before the state Senate. “There are a couple of bills that I’m bouncing around that I may introduce on the behalf of the constituency, but not any particular special interests.”

District 21

R.L. “Bret” Allain, R-Jeanerette

As a political newcomer, state Sen. Bret Allain said he expects 2012 to be a year of learning for him, while intending to set groundwork for an Interstate 49 coalition and addressing economic concerns.

“I don’t have any legislation in particular [to introduce],” he said. “There are a couple of local bills that need attention, including representation on levee boards and Teche Regional Hospital would like me to sponsor legislation for them to become designated as a rural hospital.”

Allain said he wants to get a grasp on the procedural elements of the state Senate and work on his representation skills so his actions will carry greater significance than they might if he went in unfamiliar with the workings of the state capitol.

State House of Representatives

District 50, Sam Jones,

D-Franklin

“I think the biggest thing this year is coastal protection,” said state Rep. Sam Jones, who is entering his second term in office. “We need to put real effort into getting a permanent structure in Bayou Chene.”

Jones said that completion of Interstate 49 must be moved forward by the Tri-parish delegation. “We need the building of overpasses at the very least from Lafayette to Raceland,” he said. “We have some areas [in St. Mary Parish] funded that should start construction next year.” Jones would like to see the formation of an I-49 task force.

The representative said he is working on two pieces of legislation that might be introduced in 2013, but for now is placing the bulk of his attention on infrastructure and flood protection.

In 2011 Jones served on the municipal, parochial and cultural affairs committee as well as the natural resources and environment, and transportation, highways and public works committees. He does not expect those appointments to change.

District 51

Joe Harrison, R-Napoleonville

“I think we are going into a year again with budget shortfalls that we will have to deal with,”

state Rep. Joe Harrison said. “I know that we cannot make cuts across the board. It just doesn’t work.”

Returning for a second term in office, Harrison said he wants to concentrate on eliminating programs that do not serve public needs, and recommended consolidation of departments to reduce duplicity of tasks and expense.

“I’m interested in putting up five or six bills at the most,” he said regarding his plans to introduce legislation. “Education is a key component I’m looking at this year. I have two education bills for restructuring. To assist our school systems we need to concentrate on grades K-4 and have a maximum class size of 14 with two teachers to a class in what is called looping. That is where the same teachers stay [as a team] with a class [from kindergarten through the fourth grade].”

Harrison said a lack of parental participation is one element that has caused academic and behavioral problems in public schools. He wants to change that condition by establishing greater structure in the classroom with the team-teacher concept. “It would add consistency in the classroom,” he said.

The state representative said he would like to move social service programs into schools to address families and education in a common environment. “That would help us in managing family problems out there, but it would also eliminate a tremendous amount of money spent on offices and activities.”

Harrison is also interested in addressing jobs as well as merging the Department of Human Resources and Department of Social Services. “This could put revenue back to the state for the real needs and necessities that we have,” he said. “I’m going to see if the governor will go for it.”

As for committees, Harrison will serve on natural resources, appropriations and judiciary. He is also on the executive board for energy and the American Legislative Exchange Council.

District 52

Gordon Dove, R-Houma

State Rep. Gordon Dove is entering his final term of eligibility due to term limits that will have him leave office at the end of 2016. He will continue to serve as chairman of the House committee on natural resources and the environment.

Dove has been instrumental in securing state funds for developments on the Houma Navigational Canal and with the Morganza-to-the-Gulf system.

“I’ve been aggressively participating in the state’s master plan,” he said of coming into the 2012 session. “The state has begun engineering barrier island reconstruction. Terrebonne parish and Lafourche are both taken care of in it.”

Dove said that the barrier island plan will be rebuilt with 5,840 acres being added to the coastal land masses. “It is a $600 million job and this is for the construction,” he said, “not a study. We still have to acquire the money for construction, but the engineering is in place.” Dove expects to be able to coordinate funding from various sources and is pleased that Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes have been given priority in the project.

Houma Navigational Canal floodgate structure construction has begun, Dove said, with platforms being built by Gulf Island Fabrication. “Those structures are actually completed,” he said.

Dove said that the Tri-parish delegation intends to address cuts that could adversely impact Chabert Medical Center and that he sees completing existing projects as being more essential than introducing new legislation.

District 53

Lenar Whitney, R-Houma

State Rep. Lenar Whitney is serving in elected office for the first time and said she is looking forward to working with all the legislators.

“Some of the areas I’m interested in are reducing the size of government, eliminating wasteful spending and reducing regulations,” Whitney said.

In terms of committee service, Whitney said she would be interested in being on natural services and the environment. “I’m interested in coastal restoration projects,” she said. “I hope to find revenue to complete Morganza to the-Gulf and continue working on that.”

District 54

Jerry “Truck” Gisclair, D-Larose

State Rep. Jerry “Truck” Gisclair is entering his second term in office and said he intends to address concerns related to Port Fourchon, but has no legislative bills planned for introduction at this time.

“We are going to have new faces and I know the governor has talked about education, but has not been clear about what he is trying to do,” he said. “I know he is moving towards the charter school. There is nothing wrong with public education if we give them the proper tools and right student to teacher ratio we can be productive without having to go to the charter system.”

Gisclair said that he expects new faces to help fight gridlock, but does have other concerns. “The thing I’m disappointed in is the governor meddling in the race for Senate president and Speaker of the House,” he said. “I just wish we had a more independent voice in the selection.”

District 55

Jerome “Dee” Richard, NP-Thibodaux

“I’m expecting a lot in regards to [public] education reform, but I’m not sure exactly what,” state Rep. Dee Richard said. “That is probably going to be the biggest thing. Hopefully that will be coming up in a couple of weeks.”

Richard is campaigning to be on the appropriations committee. During the past legislative session, Richard served on the House committee on governmental affairs, ways and means, and the joint legislative committee on capital outlay.

“I want to introduce bills to cut back [state] contracts by 10 percent, reduce the government workforce by attrition and I have a bill that would take redistricting out of the hands of the Legislature,” the representative said.

Richard was first elected to office in 2007 and his final term of eligibility will come in 2016.