Eric LaFleur
Encyclopedia
K. Eric LaFleur is a Democratic
member of the Louisiana State Senate
, first elected in 2007. Earlier he was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from District 38 (Evangeline and St. Landry parishes) from 2000 through 2007. He was first elected without opposition to an open seat vacated by Dirk Deville. He was then re-elected four years later in 2003 with 81% of the vote.
, and worked as a registered nurse. Eric LaFleur is the fourth of five children in the LaFleur family. His wife, the former Julie D. Morein, was born and raised just outside of the city limits of Ville Platte, Louisiana. Her father is a farmer and her mother a teacher. She graduated from L.S.U. magna cum laude and earned her Master’s Degree from the University of South Alabama
. She is employed as a Physician’s Assistant in the Intensive Care Unit at Cabrini Hospital in Alexandria, Louisiana
. The couple has two children, Atticus Yves La Fleur born in 2008 and Amélie Estelle La Fleur born in 2010. They are expecting their third child in October, 2011. LaFleur and his wife are Roman Catholic.
He lives in Ville Platte
with his wife, Julie Morein LaFleur, a physician's assistant at the Intensive Care Unit at St. Frances Cabrini Hospital in Alexandria
. LaFleur is a partner in the law firm of Mahtook & LaFleur. The firm consists of ten attorneys with offices in Ville Platte, Opelousas
, Lafayette
, and Houston, Texas
. He graduated from Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge, having earned a bachelor of arts
in French, economics
, and history
. He earned his law degree from Tulane University
in New Orleans in 1991. His legal practice focuses primarily on transactional work: residential, commercial and public finance. He is a Red Book listed bond attorney. LaFleur also serves as the President and Chief Financial Officer for a medium sized health care company which employees over 100 people and provides primary and ancillary health care services to long term care and long term acute care patients. Before entering private practice, LaFleur served as a felony prosecutor under District Attorney
Harry Connick in New Orleans and for the Louisiana Department of Justice under Richard Ieyoub. During his years as prosecutor, LaFleur handled in excess of 1,000 felony cases including 50 plus jury trials.
(NRA), that provided civil immunity to victims of crime who lawfully use deadly force to protect themselves and their families against a violent attack. A companion bill House Bill 89, also by Representative LaFleur, and supported by the NRA created presumptions in law for the use of force against intruders in your home, car or place of business and explicitly states in law that you have no “duty to retreat” from criminal attack if you are in a place where you have a legal right to be.
He also promoted and passed ethics reform legislation prohibiting fundraisers during legislative sessions and the application of ethics reporting rules for those people lobbying or trying to influence non-elected executive level employees. In 2007, he and fellow Representatives, Michael Jackson and Don Cazayoux
, filed additional ethics reform measures requiring income disclosure for members of the Louisiana House of Representatives. Their bill, House bill 723, provided for the most comprehensive ethics reform package in recent Louisiana legislative history. In sum, the bill would have "[r]equire[d] legislators and candidates for the state legislature to disclose certain income.” While the comprehensive legislation failed to pass, it helped shape the gubernatorial campaign in 2007 as both candidates Bobby Jindal and Walter Boasso adopted it into their campaigns. La Fleur was the author of other bills restricting executive branch lobbying, prohibiting political fundraising activities during session, and requiring legislative oversight and accountability from the governing boards of state retirement systems.
LaFleur is a strong proponent for the preservation of the French language and Cajun and Crèole culture in Louisiana. La Fleur filed legislation to reconstitute the board of the CODOFIL and provided that board with new missions and objectives, including the development of at least one French immersion school in each of the 23 parishes that make up Acadiana on or before 2016. He promoted the adoption of an incentive programs for the development of new or the expansion of existing immersion schools. The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopted an incentive program at LaFleur's urging in 2011. The program became known as Renaissance Louisiane, adopted from a similar program used in Manitoba. La Fleur serves as president of the French speaking section of the state legislature.
LaFleur opposes abortion and gun control and enjoyed the endorsement of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry in his last two elections.LaFleur speaks French, plays saxophone
in the band Déjà Vu, and is currently training for his private pilot license. LaFleur enjoys duck and dove hunting and is runner, logging approximately 15 miles per week.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Senate
The Louisiana State Senate is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. All Senators serve four year terms and are assigned multiple committees to work on. The Republicans control the State Senate following a Special Election Victory in District 26 by Jonathan W. Perry...
, first elected in 2007. Earlier he was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
from District 38 (Evangeline and St. Landry parishes) from 2000 through 2007. He was first elected without opposition to an open seat vacated by Dirk Deville. He was then re-elected four years later in 2003 with 81% of the vote.
Personal life
Eric LaFleur is the son of Dwight LaFleur, a lifelong resident of Ville Platte, a retired merchant and former Air Force fighter pilot. His mother, Flo Brown LaFleur, was raised on a rice farm in Chataignier, LouisianaChataignier, Louisiana
Chataîgnier is a village in Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 383 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Chataîgnier is located at ....
, and worked as a registered nurse. Eric LaFleur is the fourth of five children in the LaFleur family. His wife, the former Julie D. Morein, was born and raised just outside of the city limits of Ville Platte, Louisiana. Her father is a farmer and her mother a teacher. She graduated from L.S.U. magna cum laude and earned her Master’s Degree from the University of South Alabama
University of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama is a public, doctoral-level university in Mobile, Alabama, USA. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. No other areas of the state were willing to support such a...
. She is employed as a Physician’s Assistant in the Intensive Care Unit at Cabrini Hospital in Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
. The couple has two children, Atticus Yves La Fleur born in 2008 and Amélie Estelle La Fleur born in 2010. They are expecting their third child in October, 2011. LaFleur and his wife are Roman Catholic.
He lives in Ville Platte
Ville Platte, Louisiana
Ville Platte is a city in and the parish seat of Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,145 at the 2000 census. Its name is derived from the French ville plate, or "flat town."-History:...
with his wife, Julie Morein LaFleur, a physician's assistant at the Intensive Care Unit at St. Frances Cabrini Hospital in Alexandria
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
. LaFleur is a partner in the law firm of Mahtook & LaFleur. The firm consists of ten attorneys with offices in Ville Platte, Opelousas
Opelousas, Louisiana
Opelousas is a city in and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies at the junction of Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190. The population was 22,860 at the 2000 census. Although the 2006 population estimate was 23,222, a 2004 annexation should put the city's...
, Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
, and Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. He graduated from Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in Baton Rouge, having earned a bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in French, economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, and history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
. He earned his law degree from Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
in New Orleans in 1991. His legal practice focuses primarily on transactional work: residential, commercial and public finance. He is a Red Book listed bond attorney. LaFleur also serves as the President and Chief Financial Officer for a medium sized health care company which employees over 100 people and provides primary and ancillary health care services to long term care and long term acute care patients. Before entering private practice, LaFleur served as a felony prosecutor under District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
Harry Connick in New Orleans and for the Louisiana Department of Justice under Richard Ieyoub. During his years as prosecutor, LaFleur handled in excess of 1,000 felony cases including 50 plus jury trials.
Louisiana Legislature
His district includes virtually all of the parishes of Evangeline, Allen, and Avoyelles, along with parts of St. Landry and Acadia. Senator LaFleur currently serves as a member of the following senate committees: Finance, Judiciary B, Insurance, and Education in which he serves as Vice-Chairman. He is also a member of the joint House and Senate Budget Committee which meets regularly throughout the year. LaFleur was also selected by the Independent Insurance Agents and Broker of Louisiana to serve as their representative on the board of directors of Louisiana Citizens Insurance Company, a quasi public insurance company serving as the provider of last resort for homeowner's insurance in Louisiana. He serves as chairman of the company litigation committee. Lastly, LaFleur serves as the president of the Louisiana section of French speaking legislators Assemblée Parliamentaire de la Francophonie.Issues
Recent legislation spearheaded and passed by LaFleur included the "Castle" doctrine legislation, House Bill 1097 backed by the National Rifle AssociationNational Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
(NRA), that provided civil immunity to victims of crime who lawfully use deadly force to protect themselves and their families against a violent attack. A companion bill House Bill 89, also by Representative LaFleur, and supported by the NRA created presumptions in law for the use of force against intruders in your home, car or place of business and explicitly states in law that you have no “duty to retreat” from criminal attack if you are in a place where you have a legal right to be.
He also promoted and passed ethics reform legislation prohibiting fundraisers during legislative sessions and the application of ethics reporting rules for those people lobbying or trying to influence non-elected executive level employees. In 2007, he and fellow Representatives, Michael Jackson and Don Cazayoux
Don Cazayoux
Donald J. 'Don' Cazayoux, Jr. is a former Democratic U.S. Representative from Louisiana's 6th congressional district. He is currently US Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana....
, filed additional ethics reform measures requiring income disclosure for members of the Louisiana House of Representatives. Their bill, House bill 723, provided for the most comprehensive ethics reform package in recent Louisiana legislative history. In sum, the bill would have "[r]equire[d] legislators and candidates for the state legislature to disclose certain income.” While the comprehensive legislation failed to pass, it helped shape the gubernatorial campaign in 2007 as both candidates Bobby Jindal and Walter Boasso adopted it into their campaigns. La Fleur was the author of other bills restricting executive branch lobbying, prohibiting political fundraising activities during session, and requiring legislative oversight and accountability from the governing boards of state retirement systems.
LaFleur is a strong proponent for the preservation of the French language and Cajun and Crèole culture in Louisiana. La Fleur filed legislation to reconstitute the board of the CODOFIL and provided that board with new missions and objectives, including the development of at least one French immersion school in each of the 23 parishes that make up Acadiana on or before 2016. He promoted the adoption of an incentive programs for the development of new or the expansion of existing immersion schools. The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopted an incentive program at LaFleur's urging in 2011. The program became known as Renaissance Louisiane, adopted from a similar program used in Manitoba. La Fleur serves as president of the French speaking section of the state legislature.
LaFleur opposes abortion and gun control and enjoyed the endorsement of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry in his last two elections.LaFleur speaks French, plays saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
in the band Déjà Vu, and is currently training for his private pilot license. LaFleur enjoys duck and dove hunting and is runner, logging approximately 15 miles per week.
External links
- Louisiana State Senate - Eric LaFleur official government website
- Project Vote Smart - Senator Kenneth Eric LaFleur (LA) profile
- Follow the Money - Eric LaFleur