Without the rancor or crowds of last week’s committee hearing and with Republican solidarity, the centerpiece omnibus bill on the governor’s education agenda passed 61-42 Thursday night, after more than 12 hours of debate. The supporters passed nine amendments in six hours with a total of only two no-votes on one bill, and a majority of Democrats on all but one, with most opposition concentrated in the Black Caucus. For the most part, Democratic chairmen and vice chairmen fell in line, too, mindful, no doubt, of the discipline enforced last week when House Speaker Chuck Kleckley removed Rep. Harold Ritchie, D-Franklinton, as vice chairman of the Insurance Committee when he voted against another education bill. Given that example of reprisal, legislators will be looking for what happens to Rep. Herbert Dixon, D-Alexandria, chairman of the Labor Committee, who voted against six of the supporters’ amendments. After Ritchie’s removal, lobbyists speculated he might be the next to go. The first big fix came on an amendment by Rep. Jim Fannin, D-Jonesboro, who chairs Appropriations, to give preference in granting vouchers to students in “D” and “F” schools, ahead of students in “C” schools. It passed, 88-15. Going to the heart of the opposition to the bill, Rep. John Bel Edwards, D-Amite, tried to remove the local funding portion from the scholarship grants, arguing that citizens who taxed themselves for local schools did not vote to use the money for private education. “This is the amendment that gets it done,” he concluded. It failed, 48-50.
—A new poll on Saturday’s presidential primary suggests Rick Santorum might be not only the big winner, but the only winner when it comes to collecting delegates. A Magellan Strategies poll of 2,018 likely Republican voters in Louisiana done Monday shows: Santorum, 37%; Mitt Romney, 24%; Newt Gingrich, 21%; Ron Paul, 3%; others, 9%; and undecided, 6%. Pollster John Diez, who paid to conduct the survey, thinks Romney is limited by a high negative rating. Respondents rate him 49% positive to 41% negative, while Santorum has 72% positive, 20% negative.
They said it: “It’s equivalent to being the Crowley Rice Queen, except that I’m a man.” —Sen. Norby Chabert, R-Houma, on being grand marshal of the Lafourche Seafood Festival
(John Maginnis publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com.)
Today’s poll question: Which GOP candidate do you think will win Saturday’s primary?
