A lawmaker from Assumption Parish and a group of senior citizens from south Louisiana say they may file litigation against the administration of Gov. Bobby Jindal to address a variety of issues related to the Office of Elderly Affairs.<\/p>\n
At the heart of the possible lawsuit is the ongoing debate over the creation of a new state department for elderly affairs, which the Legislature and governor signed off on last year, but has not yet come to fruition.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit being threatened could also target $1.8 million in funding that\u2019s been stripped or redirected from the office in recent years, according to state Rep. Joe Harrison, R-Napoleonville. \u201cThe administration unconstitutionally took money away from the office and depleted its funding sources by moving it into other departments and using it to fill budget holes,\u201d said Harrison.<\/p>\n
Kyle Plotkin, communications director for Jindal, said administration officials are aware of the situation. \u201cWe will be meeting with Rep. Harrison and stakeholders in the coming weeks to discuss the potential lawsuit and see if we can figure out ways to avert it,\u201d he told LaPolitics.<\/p>\n
Lawmakers passed and Jindal signed into law Act 384 by Harrison during last year\u2019s session. The law calls for the creation of a new state department dedicated entirely to elderly affairs. Currently there\u2019s only the Office of Elderly Affairs, which is under Jindal\u2019s executive department, as well as related functions located in other departments and offices.<\/p>\n
For Harrison\u2019s law to take hold, a future constitutional amendment will be needed to create a 21st state department or a department that already exists will need to be merged or eliminated. The Constitution only allows for 20 state departments to be in operation at once.<\/p>\n
Harrison said the administration is delaying a decision, and a lawsuit could force them to take a stance.<\/p>\n
\u201cLitigation and legislation,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s the only way to get their attention. There are councils on aging that need this help. It would be a benefit to them. Those that don\u2019t have a tax base are having to cut their Meals on Wheels programs. That\u2019s shameful, especially when we\u2019re able to find money to feed and house convicts and prisoners.\u201d<\/p>\n
With 800,000 seniors in Louisiana, this is a major issue that could blow up fast. When Harrison\u2019s legislation was debated in the 2013 session, hundreds of senior citizens from around the state visited the State Capitol and lobbied their local lawmakers.<\/p>\n
Diana Edmonson, the executive director of the Terrebonne Parish Council on Aging, was among the activists; she said litigation may be the only avenue left to supporters of Harrison\u2019s efforts. \u201cThe administration has not followed the procedures we expected them to,\u201d she said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to be under the executive branch or moved under (the Dept. of Health and Hospitals). We want our own department.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Senate Race Becoming\u00a0GOP Microcosm<\/strong><\/p>\n With the anticipated inclusion of state Rep. Paul Hollis of Covington, practically every faction of the Louisiana Republican Party is now represented in the still-developing U.S. Senate election.<\/p>\n The presumed frontrunner, Congressman Bill Cassidy of Baton Rouge, is easily the most mainstream Republican candidate in the field and is often criticized for not being far enough to the right. Rob Maness of Madisonville, a retired Air Force colonel, has been working to answer that war cry with some success, largely on the tea party-libertarian front.<\/p>\n Now enter Hollis, whose faith-based politics helped him chalk up a perfect score with the Louisiana Family Forum this year. While Maness is already roping off the tea party support that\u2019s to the right of Cassidy, Hollis could soon start preaching to the choir that\u2019s on the same side.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say I\u2019m running to the right of anybody,\u201d Hollis told LaPolitics. \u201cBut everyone should take the time to look at my voting record and they\u2019ll see who I am. I\u2019m definitely to the right of (incumbent U.S. Sen.) Mary Landrieu.\u201d<\/p>\n With federal paperwork filed and $250,000 of personal cash in his campaign kitty, Hollis said he expected to officially announce his candidacy toward the middle of this month. While consultants and other onlookers consider Hollis\u2019 bid a long-shot, there is an upside for the 41-year-old politician: he\u2019ll be boosting his statewide profile.<\/p>\n Should he stick it out, Hollis could contribute greatly to pushing Landrieu into a runoff and probably threaten the Hail Mary pass being launched by Maness, who was gaining minor but notable momentum with a nod from the Senate Conservatives Fund. Its Super PAC is capable of injecting six figures into the race in support of Maness, sources say, but that could quickly be overshadowed by Hollis\u2019 war chest, or, rather, its potential.<\/p>\n \u201cI already have other commitments lined up from different donors,\u201d Hollis said.<\/p>\n Aside from offering up some faith-based politics, Hollis said he sees other unique opportunities for his candidacy. As a rare coins dealer with his own company, he said he brings small business experience to the debate. His 95 percent cumulative score with the Louisiana Assoc. of Business and Industry doesn\u2019t hurt.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a lot of people in the gold and collectibles business who are going to be excited by this prospect,\u201d Hollis said, referring to fundraising. \u201cNationally, I\u2019m going to have people to turn to.\u201d<\/p>\n And, with only half a term under his belt as a legislator, he can still claim outsider status. \u201cThere\u2019s a real appetite out there for someone new,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n But he\u2019ll still have to overcome the concerns of those Republicans who feel that he doesn\u2019t belong in the race and that Cassidy has the most solid chance of besting Landrieu. U.S. Sen. David Vitter called Hollis in November to express just that.<\/p>\n \u201cI see this as a race against Sen. Landrieu and nobody else,\u201d he said, repeating what he told Vitter. \u201cI have had a few other phone calls and felt some pressure from people telling me to take a pause and think about what I\u2019m doing. But those are equally balanced against people who are saying they want a fresh approach in this race.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Perkins For U.S. Senate?<\/strong><\/p>\n As reported last month by LaPolitics, rumors have been swirling that Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, is no longer considering running in the 6th Congressional District. They\u2019re unconfirmed rumors, however, with FRC\u2019s spokesperson refusing to comment on our initial inquiry.<\/p>\n Now Politico is reporting that \u201csome of the religious right\u2019s wealthiest backers and top operatives\u201d are teaming up to coordinate political spending and court big donors.<\/p>\n While the playbook is supposedly still coming together, sources tell Politico that the game plan will closely follow models previously perfected by Karl Rove and the Koch brothers. Moreover, South Dakota businessman Bob Fischer has reportedly said in private conversations that Perkins running for the U.S. Senate would be \u201cthe sort of campaign that the new effort could support.\u201d<\/p>\n Perkins ran against Sen. Mary Landrieu in 2002 and finished fourth. He didn\u2019t respond to requests for comment from Politico.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tyson Runs For\u00a0Sec. Of State<\/strong><\/p>\n Chris Tyson, a law professor at LSU and former staffer for U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, has announced his candidacy for Secretary of State and is already raising money. While he wouldn\u2019t reveal his fundraising total, Tyson, a 38-year-old Democrat, did say he has hosted events in Atlanta and D.C.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re focusing on family and friends right now, but it has been invigorating,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Tyson said his campaign has less to do with challenging the leadership of incumbent Secretary of State Tom Schedler, a Republican, and more with offering voters an option.<\/p>\n \u201cI do not even know him and don\u2019t know what plans he has,\u201d said Tyson, \u201cBut secretary of state is a critically vital position at the intersection of the integrity of our democracy and the strength of our economy. As a business lawyer, I understand the importance of having effective and efficient business relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n For a statewide office that\u2019s usually dominated by white candidates, Tyson, as an African-American politician, stands to bring a new perspective to the 2015 contest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A lawmaker from Assumption Parish and a group of senior citizens from south Louisiana say they may file litigation against the administration of Gov. Bobby Jindal to address a variety of issues related to the Office of Elderly Affairs. At the heart of the possible lawsuit is the ongoing debate over the creation of a [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":277,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[242,206,243],"yoast_head":"\n