A plan to reapportion the state House is expected to move out of committee today and to the House floor, where some battles in committee from Wednesday are expected to be revisited. In a 10-9 vote, the committee sided with the Legislative Black Caucus and bucked Speaker Jim Tucker to create a 30th minority district, such that there would be three more districts than exist in the House today. Chairman Rick Gallot, R-Ruston, proposed changing a majority white district to majority black in Shreveport. At issue was whether the U.S. Justice Department would reject a House plan that did not create another black district where population figures supported one. The ripple effect from the change would place two Republicans, Ronnie Burford of Stonewall and Alan Seabaugh of Shreveport, in a Shreveport-dominated district. The change also would put together Reps. Rick Nowlin, R-Natchitoches, and Chris Roy, D-Alexandria, in a Rapides-dominated district. Tucker says he will continue working on new approaches to the northwest conundrum, either in committee today or on the House floor Sunday evening. —John Maginnis
(John Maginnis publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com.)
Today’s question: Which part of the state should lose a congressional district?
