Over the last two years, bills have been filed in about 25 states to address privacy issues with internet service providers, and all of them were brought about by President Donald Trump’s decision to reverse a set of rules enacted by his predecessor. The recently-adjourned regular session placed Louisiana in that category, and like practically every bill introduced in the other states the one here failed to gain traction. Still, lawmakers in the Bayou State and elsewhere are attempting to double their efforts to keep service providers from giving away or selling customers’ personal information without permission. HB 679 by Rep. Edmund Jordan, D-Brusly, was spiked by the House Commerce Committee but would have saddled providers with a customer approval stipulation, among other provisions. Jordan tells LaPolitics that he’s planning to revisit the issue during the 2019 regular session and is already working with national partners on the legislation. He won’t disclose who those patterns are, but he did say they would be visible during the next regular session. Reflecting on last month’s hearing for his bill, Jordan says his legislation drowned in the disapproval of telecommunications companies. “It interferes with their business model,” he says. “They sell that information to other people. Of course, they’re going to rise in opposition.” A representative from the D.C.-based State Privacy and Security Coalition—which sent a spokesperson to testify against Jordan’s bill—took the position that Louisiana would have become the only state with an “additional regulatory burden,” since nearly 30 other states considered similar regulations and rejected them. The coalition represents 23 communications companies and six trade associations.
—U.S. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Jefferson Parish will maintain a robust national campaign schedule this fall while stumping for Republican congressional candidates, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to phone it in back in Louisiana. Jason Hebert of the Baton Rouge-based Political Firm says the whip will leverage his nearly $2 million war chest for a traditional media buy later this year as well as direct mail, digital outreach, print advertising and more. “He never takes anything for granted,” says Hebert, a Scalise campaign consultant. Scalise already has three challengers. Two are Democrats, including Jim Francis and Dr. Tammy Savoie. Then there’s Libertarian Howard Kearney, who is trying to flank Scalise from the right. All three are attempting to paint Scalise as an out-of-touch politico neglecting the district for his national obligations. “Our leaders have stopped listening to the people,” Savoie said in her campaign announcement. While Savoie and Francis point to the shocking 2014 defeat of then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor as a case study, others are quick to dismiss such notions. “It can be a problem if you’re not paying enough attention to the home folks,” former Congressman Bob Livingston tells LaPolitics. “Eric Cantor did think he was totally secure and paid too much attention to national politics, but Steve is a unique case. I don’t think he has a problem at all.” In a separate interview, former Congressman Billy Tauzin added, “Louisiana has always been generous about its members seeking higher office. Being in leadership makes it a lot easier to do things for your people. While it is a tough assignment, you have so much opportunity.”
They Said It: “I didn’t write the Constitution. I’m just trying to follow it.”—House Appropriations Chair Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, during the budget’s floor debate, to which House Speaker Pro Tem Walt Leger, D-New Orleans, responded: “I’m trying to read it for you so you can understand it.”
Jeremy Alford publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter, or on Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
