As predicted by LouisianaVoice (a prediction any observer with half a brain could have made), HB 850 by Rep. Henry Burns (R-Haughton), otherwise known as the prison sellout bill, passed in the House Appropriations Committee. The close vote (13-11), however, was something of a surprise.
Still, the fix was in all along and few on the committee listened to pleas and protestations against the privatization of Avoyelles Correctional Center in Cottonport.
Even more surprising was four of the committee members who between them, received $64,000 from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), went contrary to ALEC’s—and Jindal’s—wishes and voted against privatizing Avoyelles, closing the J. Levy Dabadie Correctional Center in Pineville and transferring its 330 low-risk offenders to Avoyelles and for closing the Forcht Wade residential substance abuse facility in Caddo Parish and moving its inmates to the David Wade Correctional Center in Homer.
Four of the 11 who voted against the bill, including two Republicans and two Democrats, received $2,500 each from Jindal in campaign contributions but apparently felt that keeping the prisons and their guards employed outweighed the Jindal campaign contributions. They included Democrats Walt Leger and Jared Brossett, both of New Orleans, and Republicans James Morris of Oil City and Brett Geymann of Lake Charles. Morris and Geymann were the only Republicans to vote no.
One has to wonder if Jindal will demand a rebate on his investments since there were no committee chairmanships among the four to take away.
Four of five Democrats on the committee who receive contributions from neither ALEC nor Jindal voted no. They were Patricia Haynes Smith and Edward James of Baton Rouge, Helena Moreno of New Orleans and Roy Burrell of Shreveport. Robert Billiot of Westwego broke ranks with his fellow Democrats and voted in favor of the bill.
Also predictably, Rep. Jim Fannin (D-Jonesboro) held onto his committee chairmanship by metaphorically kissing Jindal’s ring (some may have a lower opinion, anatomically speaking) by voting in favor of the bill. The memory of the removal of Rep. Harold Richie (D-Bogalusa) as vice-chairman of the House Committee on Insurance had to be fresh on Fannin’s mind. Richie, sitting on the House Ways and Means Committee, voted against a proposed tax rebate for those who donate money for scholarships to private and parochial schools and was promptly stripped of his vice chairmanship of the Committee on Insurance.
The only other Democrat besides Fannin to vote for the measure was Robert Billiot of Westwego.
Jindal’s contributions to committee members and each members’ final vote included:
• Rep. Jim Fannin (D-Jonesboro)—$2500 (Y);
• Rep. Cameron Henry (R-Metairie)—$2500 (Y);
• Rep. Simone Champagne (R-Erath)—$2500 (Y);
• Rep. Charles Chaney (R-Rayville)—$2500 (Y);
• Rep. Patrick Connick (R-Marrero)—$2500 (Y);
• Rep. Franklin Foil (R-Baton Rouge)—$2500 (Y);
• Rep. Brett Geymann (R-Lake Charles)—$2500 (N);
• Rep. Joe Harrison (R-Gray)—$2500 (DID NOT VOTE);
• Rep. Bob Hensgens (R-Abbeville)—$2500 (Y);
• Rep. James Morris (R-Oil City)—$2500 (N);
• Rogers Pope (R-Denham Springs)—$2500 (Y);
• Rep. John Schroder (R-Covington)—$2500 (Y);
• Rep. John Berthelot (R-Gonzales)—$5000 (Y);
• Rep. Anthony Ligi (R-Metairie)—$5000 (Y);
• Rep. Henry Burns—$5000 (Y);
• Rep. Jared Brossett (D-New Orleans)—$2500 (N);
• Rep. Walt Leger (D-New Orleans)—$2500 (N).
Those who received contributions from ALEC’s corporate members include:
• Fannin—$6500;
• Rep. James Armes (D-Leesville)—$4500 (N);
• Champagne—$16,000;
• Geymann—$38,000;
• Harrison—$2000;
• Ligi—$20,700;
• Rep. Jack Montoucet (D-Crowley)—$6000 (N);
• Schroder—$2000;
• Rep. Ledricka Thierry (D-Opelousas)—$15,500 (N).
Two corporate members of ALEC are Corrections Corp. of America (CCA) of Nashville, Tenn. and G4S (formerly Wackenhut) of Jupiter, Fla. CCA is presently contracted to run Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield for the state while Global Expertise in Outsourcing, Inc. (GEO Group) of Boca Raton, Fla.
In addition, LaSalle Management Co. of Ruston operates eight facilities in Louisiana.
LaSalle Management, the GEO Group, and Wackenhut each contributed $10,000 to Jindal’s campaigns in 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and CCA gave the governor’s campaign $5000 in 2008 and 2009.
Additionally, GEO Group contributed $1000 to Fannin in 2010 and 2011.
Louisiana Voice 
Is there anyway for us to post these onto our own Facebook pages?
The reason for the close vote probably was that, knowing the fix was in, certain members were “allowed” to vote no, in order to avoid a backlash in their home districts. I don’t know which districts have which correctional facilities, but on a national level, that’s why certain congresspeople are allowed to vote against their party or Pres…..knowing the outcome is already in the bag, they can avoid angry voters back home with their vote.
I thought the same thing Ken. I’d say there’s a 99.3% chance you are dead on the money.
@ Paul: I was thinking the same thing, or better yet, get a list of all these ALEC members..and post them for all to see. Let the people in thier district see what these sellouts have been up too, and work to have then removed.
I guess doing more with LESS only goes as far as the pocket of the sell-out Politians will take it these days.
Watch out or shall I say “FOLLOW THE MONEY“.
[…] Jindal would rather endanger public safety and balance the budget on the backs of working families in order to enrich his corporate donors. p1 […]
It amazes me that the governor can make contributions to legislators, when this obviously influences their vote on his legislation. That would seem to the common man (me), to be unethical. Where is the ethics board on this? Hell, if a state worker can’t put a political sign in his yard to advocate for something, how can politicians be paid off to do the governor’s bidding? It defies m ethical, moral and legal sensibilities!!