Lawmakers in the Louisiana House refused Tuesday to enact new work requirements that could force the state health secretary to stop seeing patients as a medical doctor.
Rep. Lance Harris, House GOP delegation leader, says his ethics legislation wasn’t aimed at a specific official. But he acknowledges it could ensnare Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards’ health secretary, Rebekah Gee.
The bill would require department leaders chosen by the governor or lieutenant governor to work at least seven hours a day and 40 hours a week, except when they take a vacation or other types of leave. They couldn’t be paid for or volunteer for outside employment from entities regulated by or seeking money from their departments. Violators would face ethics fines.
“It’s a simple good-government bill,” Harris says. “It’s extremely important, in my opinion, that taxpayers get what they’re paying for.”
Democratic lawmakers say it seems targeted to create problems for Gee, an obstetrics and gynecology doctor who has continued to practice in New Orleans since taking over the Department of Health. The Edwards administration says she does the work for free, adding it is evaluating the legislation to determine its potential impact. The House vote was 45-40, short of the 53 votes needed to pass the measure to the Senate for consideration. Failure came even after lawmakers expanded the bill to sweep in more agency leaders, to address concerns the legislation sought to target only the Edwards administration.
Harris, of Alexandria, could bring the bill back for another vote.
