Tag: John Bel Edwards

The Story: On Saturday, November 16, voters in Louisiana re-elected John Bel Edwards (D) as their Governor. This comes despite President Trump's vociferous support for...

In case anyone watching Gov. First came something of an extended victory lap over what he’s done already. Edwards pointed to the fact that, for the first time in his term, he wasn’t there to talk budgetary doom and gloom. “Unlike in the past, today, we have the opportunity to put our names on a budget we can all be proud of. That last line was meant for an audience of one, House Speaker Taylor Barras, who has used his position on the Revenue Estimating Conference to unilaterally block money in economists’ forecasts from being spent. Also on Edwards’ “done” list were Medicaid expansion, impressive strides in foster care and adoption, economic development wins and criminal justice reform. Edwards pushed the teacher pay raise that he and many legislators support, starting at $1,000 this year for teachers and $500 for support staff, as well as a potentially more controversial increase in direct aid to schools. He talked up efforts to protect people with pre-existing conditions from losing their health coverage, now that a lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act — backed by Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry over Edwards’ strenuous objection — is working its way through the courts. “And we should have a robust discussion about why that coverage is now at risk.” Also on the governor’s agenda are two long-stalled items, a minimum wage hike and efforts to overcome Louisiana’s wage gap between men and women. But as Monday's proceeding hinted, this legislative session could be as divisive as usual.

The allegations of unlawful political contributions against three State Police commissioners, as well as their responses to the claims, were sent Thursday to Gov. State Police Commission Chairman Eulis Simien Jr. and commissioners Jared J. Caruso-Riecke and Chief Harold Pierite Sr. — who were all initially appointed by Edwards to the board — have denied any wrongdoing after they were accused last month of making political donations that violate the same rules they are tasked with investigating and reviewing for troopers. “The matter cannot be decided by this commission," Jason Hannaman, the executive director of the commission, said at the board meeting Thursday. "After those investigations are complete, the Governor will determine whether to take any further action," Sanford wrote in a statement Thursday. The donation details have since been updated in the Ethics Administration's online records, now noting that his brother Denis Riecke made the donation, not Riecke & Associates. Jimmy Simien, Eulis Simien's brother, wrote in a letter provided to the board: “I alone made the decisions without any input from Eulis, who was not involved in either the decisions, events, or the contributions.” Pierite is accused of making multiple donations totaling $120 to the Tunica-Biloxi Indian Political Action Committee throughout 2017. Pierite did not deny making those contributions, but argued that neither the state constitution nor the rules of the State Police Commission explicitly prohibit commissioners from making contributions to a political committee. However, the attorney also noted Pierite has since halted these automatic monthly donations to the PAC. Similar allegations three years ago led to three commissioners resigning, amid an investigation over thousands of dollars in political donations by them or their companies during their terms on the board. The State Police Commission on Thursday also dismissed a complaint over a political donation from the Louisiana Troopers Charities, in the form of an $800 check to the Acadiana Strong Political Action Committee.

House Speaker Taylor Barras was described last week “as the ultimate gentleman” in the announcement that he would be the Mardi Gras Grand Marshal in his New Iberia hometown. Twice, adversaries tried to oust him and, by his own account, came close. Edwards must go in the election slated for October, Barras said. Or it could have been because he’s term-limited and going into his final year in the Louisiana House. Barras said that with a GOP supermajority in the House and/or a Republican sitting in the governor’s office on the fourth floor of the State Capitol, the Affordable Care Act, or more specifically the Medicaid expansion part of it, will finally be emasculated. Barras points out that about half of the state’s $34 billion budget comes from the federal government, mostly in the form of Medicaid reimbursements, and should that money go away, the state would be unable to cover Medicaid expenses without raising taxes. As part of the Affordable Care Act of 2010, the federal government picked up nearly every penny of the costs for covering the working poor with Medicaid. The federal government will be sending Louisiana money from taxpayers in other states to fund the remaining 90 percent of the costs. Republicans are 11 seats shy of the 70-vote supermajority they would need to ignore Democrats in the 105-member Louisiana House of Representatives. Then come the fall, all the seats are up for election, including five that are held by Democrats in districts that strongly supported Republican President Donald Trump.

That’s why I am formally announcing my campaign for reelection,” Edwards said in his online message. Political observers said there was never any doubt about Edwards’ intentions, and according to FOX 8 political analyst Mike Sherman, there were few surprises in the governors' announcement. “No surprises that Gov. Edwards is running for reelection. No surprises in his messaging,” Sherman said. Jindal, a name we haven’t heard [lately] in Louisiana political circles, to try to engender those feelings of a fiscal crisis and stagnation from a few years ago. He has raised a lot of money for his war chest. His polling numbers right now look fairly good for an incumbent Democratic governor in a Republican state, so I think he’s in a very strong position,” Collins said. Both Sherman and Collins said it is very likely that more Republicans will enter the race. And for Republicans, can they recapture Louisiana’s top post.” "It would look very bad for the national Republican Party to not be able to knock off a Democratic governor in a very red state,” Collins said.

State Police Commission Chairman Eulis Simien, Jr., and commissioners Jared J. Caruso-Riecke and Chief Harold Pierite, Sr., were accused at the board's monthly meeting on Thursday of making donations that violate the same rules the board is tasked with investigating and reviewing for troopers. In an interview on Friday, Pierite said his campaign contributions don't violate commission rules or state law. +3 Former State Police trooper Leon "Bucky" Millet raised concerns about the campaign contributions made by the three commissioners at the board's meeting Thursday. While Simien and Caruso-Riecke have not personally made campaign contributions during their terms, contributions were made by their companies, according to Louisiana Ethics Administration records. Simien asked that each of the members implicated, including himself, do the same. Pierite's donations are in his name and show donations totaling $120 to the Tunica-Biloxi Indian Political Action Committee in 2017, according to Louisiana Ethics Administration records. Simien tasked the commission's Executive Director Jason Hannaman to conduct an investigation into the allegations and report back with the findings. Millet also filed a complaint with the board over an $800 check that the Louisiana Ethics Administration reported came from Louisiana Troopers Charities to the Acadiana Strong Political Action Committee. He said they are looking into the check, but haven't been able to find its origin as of Friday. The commission plans to address that allegation at February's meeting.

Greg Hilburn/USA Today Network BATON ROUGE – Maybe it was Louisiana lawmakers’ exhaustion after four legislative sessions this year. Maybe the urgency of cuts only days away suddenly felt very real. Many lawmakers seemed almost giddy — dancing, clapping and taking selfies — after the agreement was struck and they could end the tense, frustrating months of arguing about state spending. She didn’t vote for either sales tax proposal in the second special session that cratered without a deal. And I just need to make sure you’re level-headed, remain strong, can handle it until the end because it’s going to get probably messy before we get there.” The House speaker, who helped block previous agreements on taxes, also gave lawmakers trying to rally tax votes an assurance. He said he told them if one of their tax measures had enough support to pass, “I will not stop that process.” When the deal on the 0.45 percent tax rate came up for approval, Barras supported it, lighting up his green button early enough to show other reticent Republicans his decision. Though House GOP leader Lance Harris didn’t support the final tax, he didn’t work to block it, a critical decision that helped pass the deal. The final deal avoided all the worst-case-scenario reductions. The House and Senate have spent 46 weeks — nearly an entire year — in session since 2016, as Edwards repeatedly called them back to work on closing budget gaps. Sen. Jack Donahue, the Mandeville Republican who handled Davis’ sales tax bill in the Senate, told senators: “I know you all are as sick of this as I am.

Candidates tend to distance themselves from the election day activities of campaign operatives, Berry added, "but they still know that there is a system" of vote buying in place. In the current federal inquiry, it's not clear which races have drawn the interest of federal authorities beyond the 2015 Tangipahoa Parish president's race and more recent municipal contests in Amite. John Bel Edwards, both told The Advocate that their campaigns have not been contacted by federal authorities in connection with the vote-buying inquiry. "Nobody associated with my campaign has ever told me they've been contacted by federal authorities for any reason," the governor said. An FBI spokesman declined to comment on the investigation. He has not used Ruffino since 2011, he said. He was indicted again in 1991 on allegations of violating the state's public records law after he was accused of refusing to allow a Roseland citizen to view the town's sewer and water service billing records. Federal law enforcement records obtained by The Advocate show this is not the first time authorities have received allegations of vote buying in Tangipahoa Parish. In 2004, a confidential informant told the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that Artie Thompson, a former DEA task force agent and Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office deputy, had hired him to buy votes for Tim Gideon, a former Ponchatoula police chief who ran for sheriff against Daniel Edwards in November 2003. The informant said he was given more cash at that meeting and was told to give voters $5 to $10 each to vote for Gideon.