A bill to challenge abortion rights cleared committee, but not all abortion foes are happy about it. With a packed committee room showing support, House Bill 587 from Rep. John LaBruzzo, R-Metairie, won easy approval before the House Health Committee. Yet some staunch abortion foes in the House fear the end result will be a considerable cost to the state to defend the statute that, if recent court decisions are a guide, will be overturned. LaBruzzo believes it is the pro-choice movement that risks the overturning of Roe v. Wade if the bill is challenged in the courts. LaBruzzo is on a roll this session, having won House passage of his bill to test 20% of applicants for welfare cash assistance; it is in the Senate Health Committee. LaBruzzo faces a tough re-election challenge: Redistricting put him in the same district with Rep. Nick Lorusso, R-New Orleans.
—A House committee approved a bill to allow Louisiana to join a national compact of states out to circumvent the Electoral College and cause the president to be elected by popular vote. Under House Bill 388 by Rep. Nickie Monica, R-LaPlace, Louisiana would join with other participating states in binding its presidential electors to vote for the winner of the national popular vote, regardless of which candidate carries this state. If passed, the bill would only take effect when states comprising 270 electoral votes join the compact. The bill passed the GOP-majority committee over the opposition of the Jindal administration and the state Republican Party, but with a number of Republican members absent. The bill passed, 8-6, “by popular vote,” announced Chairman Rick Gallot, D-Ruston.
(John Maginnis will publish a daily update on the legislative session at 3 p.m., available to LaPolitics Weekly subscribers on the Subscribers Only page at LaPolitics.com. You can register your user name and password on the Lapolitics home page.)
