La. lawmakers hash out congressional district compromise

Louisiana lawmakers completed work on a congressional remap today, breaking a stalemate in the final hours of a redistricting special session. Baton Rouge and its suburbs will be represented by three congressmen, something that the Baton Rouge Area Chamber had come out against. With the last-minute action in the three-week session, Gov. Bobby Jindal won’t get the delay he requested until next year, but he’ll get a map similar to what he sought. Jindal’s office says the governor will sign the measure. The plan will shrink the state’s U.S. House districts from seven to six because of slow population growth and will preserve five Republican districts and one majority black district. The northeast Louisiana-based district will stretch east across the Florida Parishes, while a minority district will stretch from New Orleans to North Baton Rouge. The district represented by GOP Rep. Jeff Landry will be split apart; if he seeks re-election, he will be forced to run against Republican Rep. Charles Boustany in a district that most closely resembles Boustany’s current seat. Black lawmakers called the map discriminatory against minority voters and were expected to challenge it. The Senate backed the redesign proposal 25-13, and the House voted 63-34 for it. Sen. Mike Walsworth, R-West Monroe, called the map “the most compromise we’ve got. Not everybody is made whole. When we’ve got to go from seven to six, we’ve just got to make some tough decisions.” See the map here.