This year’s legislative session ended in a public display of tyrannical “leadership” that would make Huey Long proud.

Speaker Clay Schexnayder broke House rules when he refused to recognize members for motions, questions or comments, and even turned off the mic while members who legitimately had the floor were still speaking. The fact that the four main budget bills were steamrolled through in the final 15 minutes of session, giving us no opportunity to read the bills that all had major amendments (like removing projects), sent a clear signal that shady backroom deals were involved.

Crucial projects were robbed from my House district to the tune of $18 million. As an appointed member of the conference committee that decided what stayed in the capital outlay bill and what was taken out, Senator Bret Allain literally signed his approval of excluding projects in my district. Then, adding insult to injury, he is somehow blaming me for this outcome!

The Louisiana House of Representatives, of which I am honored to be a member, passed a responsible budget that did not bust the spending cap set by our state Constitution. Our budget included funding for projects and teacher pay raises, while saving the state hundreds of millions of dollars in interest on debt, staving off the fiscal cliff forecast in our near future. The budget also relieved local parishes of the debt payment they have to make, freeing up local money. I voted in favor of that budget. It was the right thing to do.

After sitting on the House bill for a month, the Senate demanded the House’s agreement to increase the spending cap. I had already seen several budget plans that provided needed funding AND stayed below the cap, so I knew it was unnecessary and counterproductive.

Senate President Page Cortez refused to send the budget bills back to us unless and until we voted to bust the spending cap. He and Schexnayder expected us to “sign a blank check” without knowing how and where the money would be spent. I consistently voted “no” even though I was yelled at, cursed at and threatened.

In spite of my votes, the resolution passed and the cap was raised, fully funding the Senate’s spending frenzy.

Now, even with an overabundance of funding, crucial projects were cut. Morgan City residents will have to continue driving on broken state roads and Bayou Dularge will have to wait longer for better hurricane protection, while Southern University’s band gets new uniforms, the PMAC gets renovated, and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the American Rose Society get additional funding. And Senator Allain says it’s MY fault?

I did not vote to raise the spending cap, but it passed, so funding was not the problem. I was not on the conference committee so I did not choose to remove any projects. I voted against the conference report. Senator Allain served on the conference committee and signed the report, giving his approval.

Speaker Pro Tem Tanner Magee says the other 18 members and I who voted against busting the spending cap needed to be punished. So THIS is what it’s all about!

As an officer and founding member of the Louisiana Freedom Caucus, I worked with other conscientious House members on responsible budget plans with tax payers in mind. But it’s we, the House members bold enough to stand up against bully tactics of corrupt leadership who need to be punished? And to top it all off, conservative women members among the 19 appear to have suffered the greatest loss of projects. Why do you suppose that happened?

Huey Long still walks among our legislature, only this time his name is Clay Schexnayder…and he calls himself a Republican…and he is running for Secretary of State. What if he enforces our election laws as well as he followed House rules? That would be another travesty!

 

Beryl Amedee
Louisiana State Representative
District 51
Secretary/Treasurer, Louisiana Freedom Caucus