House Speaker Clay Schexnayder (R)
Republican House Speaker Clay Schexnayder stripped two Democratic House chairs of their chairmanships Friday, reportedly as retaliation for their votes in the recent veto override session.
Representative Chad Brown of Plaquemine was removed as House Insurance chair and Representative Vincent Pierre of Lafayette is no longer chair of House Transportation. LaPolitics.com publisher Jeremy Alford said this move was blowback for the two Democrats’ votes against legislation banning transgender athletes from girls’ sports.
“This is all in the wake of requests by representatives and members of the Republican Party, the Family Forum, and the Conservative Caucus to hold people accountable who voted with the Governor in the veto override session,” said Alford.
Independent Daryl Adams was also removed from the House Appropriations Committee and Democratic Representative Travis Johnson of Vidalia was removed from House Transportation.
Schexnayder won the Speakership over the more conservative Representative Sherman Mack after creating a coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans. Alford said the most interesting question now is whether Speaker Clay Schexnayder will replace the two Democrats with conservative Republicans.
“The Speaker is in an interesting spot here because he is being asked to hold representatives accountable here, mostly Democrats, but that is exactly how he got elected Speaker,” said Alford.
Immediately after the failure to override any of the Governor’s vetoes, there were suggestions the Speaker could be removed, but Alford said that now appears unlikely.
“There have been some follow-up statements from groups like the Conservative Caucus that they are squarely with the Speaker and that the big concern was the power that Democrats were allowed to have in the process,” said Alford.
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