Joe Harrison (Louisiana politician)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Arthur Harrison, known as Joe Harrison (born 1952) is a financial planner from Napoleonville
, Louisiana
, who is a Republican
member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from District 51 in Assumption
, Lafourche
, St. Mary
, and Terrebonne
parishes.
of Morgan City
in St. Mary Parish. Gautreaux, subsequently a state senator
, handily prevailed with 8,457 votes (69 percent) to Harrison's 3,809 ballots (31 percent).
Harrison was elected to the House in 2007, having upset in the second round of balloting the Democrat
Carla Blanchard Dartez
of Morgan City, whom he had trailed in the primary by seven percentage points. In the lowered-turnout general election, Harrison prevailed with 4,338 votes (57 percent) to Dartez's 3,276 (43 percent).Dartez lost African American
support between the primary and the general election when he called campaign worker Hazel Boykin "Buckwheat", a term considered demeaning within the black community."Even before the qualifying period in September, Dartez received a summons for improper lane usage after she struck pedestrian with her vehicle. She failed a field sobriety test but passed a later Breathalyzer test.
Harrison holds a degree in business management from Nicholls State University
in Thibodaux
, Louisiana. He serves on the House committees on Appropriations, the Judiciary, Natural Resources and Environment, and the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget.
appointed Harrison to the Gulf States and Atlantic States Regional Task Force, an initiative of the interest groups, the Southern Legislative Conference and the Council for State Governments. The task force addresses the interest of fifteen coastal states in their dealings with the U.S. government in meeting disasters.
Near the end of the 2011 legislative session, Harrison joined the House majority in voting down an "anti-bullying" bill that would seek to halt abuses in public schools. Critics, including the Louisiana Family Forum
, said the legislation would be misconstrued and used to promote homosexual life-styles. In the House debate over the bill, Harrison said that "principals and teachers are almost getting to the point where they have to be a psychologist."
Harrison also sponsored legislation seeking to relocate the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans from New Orleans
to Baton Rouge
, on the grounds that such a move would make the capital city a "medical mecca." His House Bill 507 died in the House Health and Welfare Committee. The New Orleans Times-Picayune
published an editorial urging Harrison to drop his idea entirely: "With any luck, this will be the last time a lawmaker tries to hijack the medical school."
In 2011, Harrison introduced an immigration enforcement proposal which would have required providers of public benefits, including social services and college scholarships, to verify citizenship of the beneficiaries. The bill further sought to require police to check the citizenship of any arrested person before release. Harrison withdrew the bill after hearing contrary testimony from law enforcement officrs and immigration rights advocates, including the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Harrison sponsored a congressional reapportionment plan which, with the backing of Speaker Tucker, would have pitted Republican U.S. Representatives John C. Fleming
and Rodney Alexander
, whose home cities of Minden
and Jonesboro
in north Louisiana are only fifty miles apart. Harrison sought to preserve the south Louisiana districts of Jeff Landry
and Charles Boustany
though both would have extended into central Louisiana. The legislature ultimately consolidated Landry and Boustany into one district. The state lost a congressional seat as a result of some population losses and counting procedures in the 2010 census.
As a member of the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget, Harrison opposed efforts by the administration by Governor Bobby Jindal
to use $147 million in federal education funds which had been promised to local school districts. Superintendents from throughout the state railed against the plan, which Harrison called an "affront."
Harrison was handily reelected to the House in the primary held on October 22, 2011. He defeated the Independent Howard John Castay, Jr., 6,226 (71.8 percent) to 2,448 (28.2 percent).
Napoleonville, Louisiana
Napoleonville is a village in and the parish seat of Assumption Parish, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 686 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Pierre Part Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, 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 House of Representatives
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 51 in Assumption
Assumption Parish, Louisiana
Assumption Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and was formed in 1807 as an original parish of the Louisiana Territory. Its parish seat is Napoleonville. In 2000, its population was 23,388. Assumption is one of the 22 Acadiana parishes. Its major product is sugarcane...
, Lafourche
Lafourche Parish, Louisiana
Lafourche Parish is a parish located in the south of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was originally the northern part of Lafourche Interior Parish, which consisted of the present parishes of Lafourche and Terrebonne. The parish seat is Thibodaux...
, St. Mary
St. Mary Parish, Louisiana
St. Mary Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Franklin. As of 2000, the population was 53,500.The Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of St. Mary Parish.-Geography:...
, and Terrebonne
Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana
Terrebonne Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Houma. Its population was 111,860...
parishes.
Background
In the 1995 general election, Harrison was the Republican candidate for the District 51 seat against the Democrat Dudley Anthony "Butch" GautreauxButch Gautreaux
Dudley Anthony Gautreaux, known as Butch Gautreaux , is a departing Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate from Morgan City, Louisiana. Since 2000, he has represented Senate District 21. In 2012, the reconfigured district will include mostly Republican portions of Iberia, Lafourche, St...
of Morgan City
Morgan City, Louisiana
Morgan City is a city in St. Martin and St. Mary parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 12,404 at the 2010 census....
in St. Mary Parish. Gautreaux, subsequently a state senator
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...
, handily prevailed with 8,457 votes (69 percent) to Harrison's 3,809 ballots (31 percent).
Harrison was elected to the House in 2007, having upset in the second round of balloting the 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...
Carla Blanchard Dartez
Carla Blanchard Dartez
Carla Blanchard Dartez is a Democratic former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 51 . She was first elected to that office in 1999 and took her seat in January 2000. She resides in Morgan City in St...
of Morgan City, whom he had trailed in the primary by seven percentage points. In the lowered-turnout general election, Harrison prevailed with 4,338 votes (57 percent) to Dartez's 3,276 (43 percent).Dartez lost African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
support between the primary and the general election when he called campaign worker Hazel Boykin "Buckwheat", a term considered demeaning within the black community."Even before the qualifying period in September, Dartez received a summons for improper lane usage after she struck pedestrian with her vehicle. She failed a field sobriety test but passed a later Breathalyzer test.
Harrison holds a degree in business management 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...
, Louisiana. He serves on the House committees on Appropriations, the Judiciary, Natural Resources and Environment, and the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget.
2011 legislative session
In 2011, Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives Jim TuckerJim Tucker (Louisiana politician)
James Wayne Tucker, known as Jim Tucker , is the departing Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives, and an ally of Governor Bobby Jindal. An investment banker from the Terrytown section of the New Orleans metropolitan area, Tucker's District 86 includes precincts from both Jefferson and...
appointed Harrison to the Gulf States and Atlantic States Regional Task Force, an initiative of the interest groups, the Southern Legislative Conference and the Council for State Governments. The task force addresses the interest of fifteen coastal states in their dealings with the U.S. government in meeting disasters.
Near the end of the 2011 legislative session, Harrison joined the House majority in voting down an "anti-bullying" bill that would seek to halt abuses in public schools. Critics, including 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...
, said the legislation would be misconstrued and used to promote homosexual life-styles. In the House debate over the bill, Harrison said that "principals and teachers are almost getting to the point where they have to be a psychologist."
Harrison also sponsored legislation seeking to relocate the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans from New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
to 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...
, on the grounds that such a move would make the capital city a "medical mecca." His House Bill 507 died in the House Health and Welfare Committee. The New Orleans Times-Picayune
New Orleans Times-Picayune
The Times-Picayune is a daily newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.-History:Established as The Picayune in 1837 by Francis Lumsden and George Wilkins Kendall, the paper's initial price was one picayune—a Spanish coin equivalent to 6¼¢ .Under Eliza Jane Nicholson, who inherited the...
published an editorial urging Harrison to drop his idea entirely: "With any luck, this will be the last time a lawmaker tries to hijack the medical school."
In 2011, Harrison introduced an immigration enforcement proposal which would have required providers of public benefits, including social services and college scholarships, to verify citizenship of the beneficiaries. The bill further sought to require police to check the citizenship of any arrested person before release. Harrison withdrew the bill after hearing contrary testimony from law enforcement officrs and immigration rights advocates, including the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Harrison sponsored a congressional reapportionment plan which, with the backing of Speaker Tucker, would have pitted Republican U.S. Representatives John C. Fleming
John C. Fleming
John Calvin Fleming, Jr. is a Minden, Louisiana physician, the author of the book Preventing Addiction, and the Republican U.S. representative from Louisiana's 4th congressional district...
and Rodney Alexander
Rodney Alexander
Rodney McKinnie Alexander is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district covers twenty-two parishes in roughly the northeast quadrant of the state...
, whose home cities of Minden
Minden, Louisiana
Minden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
and Jonesboro
Jonesboro, Louisiana
Jonesboro is a town in and the parish seat of Jackson Parish in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 3,914 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ruston Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
in north Louisiana are only fifty miles apart. Harrison sought to preserve the south Louisiana districts of Jeff Landry
Jeff Landry
Jeffrey Martin "Jeff" Landry is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party and the Tea Party Caucus.-Early life, education, and military service:...
and Charles Boustany
Charles Boustany
Charles William Boustany, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education, and medical career:...
though both would have extended into central Louisiana. The legislature ultimately consolidated Landry and Boustany into one district. The state lost a congressional seat as a result of some population losses and counting procedures in the 2010 census.
As a member of the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget, Harrison opposed efforts by the administration by Governor Bobby Jindal
Bobby Jindal
Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is the 55th and current Governor of Louisiana and formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican Party....
to use $147 million in federal education funds which had been promised to local school districts. Superintendents from throughout the state railed against the plan, which Harrison called an "affront."
Harrison was handily reelected to the House in the primary held on October 22, 2011. He defeated the Independent Howard John Castay, Jr., 6,226 (71.8 percent) to 2,448 (28.2 percent).