Some lawmakers prepared to head home

Although the House and Senate, along with its lead redistricting committees, are scheduled to meet today, and despite a deadline of 6 p.m. Wednesday, some lawmakers are expecting an early end to the ongoing special session. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see final adjournment late in the afternoon,” says House Natural Resources Chairman Gordon Dove, R-Houma. The new maps for House and Senate seats have been sent to Gov. Bobby Jindal, so those are done, and lawmakers have decided to acquiesce to the wishes of those on the bench and will not be tackling judicial districts this go-around. The clincher remains the plan that will take Louisiana from seven congressional districts to six. Lawmakers are beginning to complain that they’ve seen every configuration—whether in debate or privately—there is to see, considering the requirements on the table. Jindal wants two vertical north Louisiana districts, Baton Rouge wants the metro area whole, New Orleans needs a historically black base, and several regions want to be in the same district, from Lafayette-Lake Charles to Terrebonne-Lafourche. Since lines on a map are contiguous, it becomes difficult to satisfy all of these needs when pieces are moved around. The Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee is now expected to take up House Bill 6 by Rep. Erich Ponti, R-Baton Rouge. That debate should kick off around 11 a.m. for what is now the last, surviving congressional proposal. The full House and Senate convene at 3 p.m. Keep track of the process live today at legis.state.la.us. —Jeremy Alford