Louisiana Department of Health Secretary Rebekah Gee could get ensnared by a Louisiana House Republican leader’s proposal to enact hourly requirements on the governor’s Cabinet secretaries and restrict their outside work.
Alexandria Rep. Lance Harris, head of the House GOP delegation, says his ethics legislation wasn’t targeted at anyone, though he acknowledges the measure could affect Gee.
The bill, pending on the House floor, would require any department leader chosen by the governor or lieutenant governor to work at least seven hours a day and 40 hours a week, except when they take vacation or other types of leave. The agency heads would be barred from receiving “anything of economic value” or volunteering for outside employment from entities regulated by or seeking money from their departments.
Gee, an obstetrics and gynecology doctor, has continued to practice in New Orleans since taking over the Department of Health. The Edwards administration says she does the work for free.
“We are reviewing the legislation now to determine its impact, if any, on our secretary,” Gee spokesman Bob Johannessen says.
Gee’s medical work didn’t prompt the proposal, says Harris, adding it’s a “good transparency law.”
“I’m not just singling her out,” he says. “I think these executive officers ought to apply themselves full-time to the job. I think taxpayers deserve that.”
