As you know, this is an extremely important election year for Louisiana. All of our statewide elected officials are on the ballot and, due to legislative term limits, there will be a huge change in the Legislature next year.  To prepare, LABI is more organized and proactive than ever before in our organization’s history.  We have trained over 200 candidates to run for office and re-organized our political efforts to be more impactful and agile.  In our opinion, the next few months will be vital for the future of free enterprise in Louisiana.

In short, the Legislative score for the “term” is most relevant to any election year.  Therefore, this year’s scorecard focuses on the four-year average TERM score for legislators rather than simply the 2019 session score.

This year’s LABI MVPs, All-Stars and Honorable Mentions will be honored by LABI members on September 5, 2019 at the fourth annual LABI Free Enterprise Awards reception alongside other businesses and individuals who have proven their exemplary commitment and contributions to their local communities and the state’s business climate. More information on the LABI Free Enterprise Awards reception can be found at http://labi.org/events/free-enterprise-program.

BY THE NUMBERS:

TERM CHAMPIONS

Overall, 24 legislators earned the ranking “All-Stars,” scoring 90 percent or higher on legislation important to LABI and the state’s employers during the past four-year term. Those term All-Stars are House Speaker Taylor Barras (R-New Iberia), Sens. Conrad Appel (R-Metairie), Jack Donahue (R-Mandeville), Sharon Hewitt (R-Slidell), Beth Mizell (R-Franklinton), Mike Walsworth (R-West Monroe), and Reps. Beryl Amedee (R-Houma), Tony Bacala (R-Prairieville), Raymond Crews (R-Bossier City), Paula Davis (R-Baton Rouge), Phillip DeVillier (R-Eunice), Rick Edmonds (R-Baton Rouge), Julie Emerson (R-Carencro), Raymond Garofalo (R-Chalmette), Dodie Horton (R-Haughton), Barry Ivey (R-Baton Rouge), Nancy Landry (R-Lafayette), Blake Miguez (R-Erath), Alan Seabaugh (R-Shreveport), John Stefanski (R-Crowley), Kirk Talbot (R-River Ridge), Polly Thomas (R-Metairie), Mark Wright (R-Covington) and Jerome Zeringue (R-Houma).

Legislators named as “Honorable Mentions,” scoring 80 percent or higher on legislation important to LABI and its members during the past four years are Sens. Barrow Peacock (R-Bossier City), Neil Riser (R-Columbia), Bodi White (R-Baton Rouge), and Reps. Johnny Berthelot (R-Gonzales), Stuart Bishop (R-Lafayette), Thomas Carmody (R-Shreveport), Steve Carter (R-Baton Rouge), Jean-Paul Coussan (R-Lafayette), Cameron Henry (R-Metairie), Valarie Hodges (R-Denham Springs), Mike Huval (R-Breaux Bridge), Chris Leopold (R-Belle Chasse), Sherman Mack (R- Albany), Tanner Magee (R-Houma), Jack McFarland (R-Jonesboro), Kevin Pearson (R-Slidell), Steve Pugh (R-Ponchatoula), Clay Schexnayder (R-Gonzales), Scott Simon (R-Abita Springs) and Julie Stokes (R-Kenner).

2019 SESSION CHAMPIONS

LABI’s Legislative Scorecard named 29 legislators as “Most Valuable Policymakers,” (MVPs), scoring 100 percent on legislation important to the state’s job creators during the 2019 Legislative Session. In addition, nine legislators scoring 90 percent or higher were named All-Stars for the 2019 Session, and 29 legislators scoring 80 percent or higher earned Honorable Mentions.

Check out the 2019 session scores here. And see here for the interactive LABI scorecard.