Jody Amedee
Encyclopedia
Joseph P. Amedee, known as Jody Amedee (born 1968), is an attorney from Gonzales
, Louisiana
, who is a Republican
member of the Louisiana State Senate
from District 18, which encompasses portions of Ascension
, Livingston
, St. James, and St. John the Baptist
parishes.
Amedee graduated from Nicholls State University
in Thibodaux
and the historically black Southern University Law Center
in Baton Rouge
. Early in his career he was a law clerk in the Louisiana Senate. He is a former assistant district attorney for the 23rd Judicial District and the attorney for the Ascension Parish Tourist Commission. Amedee has been active in various sports organizations, including time as a coach of basketball and soccer. He is a member of the National Rifle Association
, the National Wildlife Turkey Federation, the East Ascension Sportsman League, and Ducks Unlimited
. He is Roman Catholic.
Amedee was elected to the first of his senatorial terms in 2003 as a Democrat
. He led the six-candidate field with 12,413 votes (27.2 percent). The runner up was fellow Democrat Jeff Diez, who received 11,323 votes (24.8 percent). Two Republicans, Mark Stermer and Warren Harang, III, shared 30 percent of the vote. Two other Democrats held a combined 18 percent of the ballots. In the second balloting on November 15, Amedee defeated Diez, 24,190 (51.6 percent) to 22,668 (48.4 percent). Amedee was unopposed for his second term in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 20, 2007.
In March 2011, Amedee switched to GOP
affiliation, and the Republicans gained numerical control of the state Senate. He serves on the committees of (1) Environmental Quality, (2) Natural Resources as chairman, (3) Senate and Governmental Affairs, (4) Homeland Security, and (5) Veterans Affairs. In 2010, Amedee supported the interest group, the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
, 58 percent of the time. The Louisiana Family Forum
gave him an 80 percent rating. In 2009, he was ranked 100 percent by the Louisiana Right to Life
Federation.
Amedee and his wife, the former Jancy L. Berthelot, formerly of Orange Beach
, Alabama
, have three children.
Gonzales, Louisiana
Gonzales is a city in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,156 at the 2000 census. It has been called the "jambalaya capital of the world" and is famous for its annual Jambalaya Festival. Gonzales is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.State...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, who is a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
from District 18, which encompasses portions of Ascension
Ascension Parish, Louisiana
Ascension Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the fastest growing parish in the state. Its population is 107,215 which is 39.9% greater than the 2000 census...
, Livingston
Livingston Parish, Louisiana
Livingston Parish Is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its parish seat is Livingston. As of 2010, its population was 128,026....
, St. James, and St. John the Baptist
St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana
St. John the Baptist Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana.The parish seat is Edgard, an unincorporated area and the unofficial parish captial is LaPlace, an unincorporated area. St. John the Baptist is one of the original 19 parishes in Louisiana. In 2010, its population was...
parishes.
Amedee graduated from Nicholls State University
Nicholls State University
Nicholls State University, founded in 1948, is a public university located in Thibodaux, Louisiana, USA. Nicholls is part of the University of Louisiana System of universities. Originally called Francis T. Nicholls Junior College, the institution split from the Louisiana State University System in...
in Thibodaux
Thibodaux, Louisiana
Thibodaux is a small city in and the parish seat of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the banks of Bayou Lafourche in the northwestern part of the parish. The population was 14,431 at the 2000 census. Thibodaux is a principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux...
and the historically black Southern University Law Center
Southern University Law Center
Southern University Law Center, a campus of the Southern University System, opened for instruction in September 1947. Its concept was born out of a response of a lawsuit by an African American resident, Charles J. Hatfield, III, seeking to attend law school at a state institution...
in Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
. Early in his career he was a law clerk in the Louisiana Senate. He is a former assistant district attorney for the 23rd Judicial District and the attorney for the Ascension Parish Tourist Commission. Amedee has been active in various sports organizations, including time as a coach of basketball and soccer. He is a member of the National Rifle Association
National 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...
, the National Wildlife Turkey Federation, the East Ascension Sportsman League, and Ducks Unlimited
Ducks Unlimited
Ducks Unlimited is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of wetlands and associated upland habitats for waterfowl, other wildlife, and people. It currently has approximately 780,000 members, mostly in the United States and Canada.-Introduction:Ducks Unlimited was...
. He is Roman Catholic.
Amedee was elected to the first of his senatorial terms in 2003 as a Democrat
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...
. He led the six-candidate field with 12,413 votes (27.2 percent). The runner up was fellow Democrat Jeff Diez, who received 11,323 votes (24.8 percent). Two Republicans, Mark Stermer and Warren Harang, III, shared 30 percent of the vote. Two other Democrats held a combined 18 percent of the ballots. In the second balloting on November 15, Amedee defeated Diez, 24,190 (51.6 percent) to 22,668 (48.4 percent). Amedee was unopposed for his second term in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 20, 2007.
In March 2011, Amedee switched to GOP
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
affiliation, and the Republicans gained numerical control of the state Senate. He serves on the committees of (1) Environmental Quality, (2) Natural Resources as chairman, (3) Senate and Governmental Affairs, (4) Homeland Security, and (5) Veterans Affairs. In 2010, Amedee supported the interest group, the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, known by the acronym LABI, is the largest and most successful business lobbying group in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was founded in Baton Rouge in 1976, when Louisiana adopted a new right-to-work law during the administration of Democratic...
, 58 percent of the time. The Louisiana Family Forum
Louisiana Family Forum
Louisiana Family Forum is a social conservative non-profit advocacy group based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The organization supports Louisiana's covenant marriage law and opposes abortion and same-sex marriage...
gave him an 80 percent rating. In 2009, he was ranked 100 percent by the Louisiana Right to Life
Right to life
Right to life is a phrase that describes the belief that a human being has an essential right to live, particularly that a human being has the right not to be killed by another human being...
Federation.
Amedee and his wife, the former Jancy L. Berthelot, formerly of Orange Beach
Orange Beach, Alabama
Orange Beach is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 3,784. It is part of the Daphne–Fairhope–Foley Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, have three children.