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Louisiana House Seating Is Not What It Appears

Sue Lincoln

“I really didn’t know what to expect. I was surprised, but, uh, I’ve noticed that that is the way that it is and I understand that historically it’s been like that.”

Representative Barbara Carpenter of Baton Rouge is new to the Louisiana House. The dean of international education at Southern University, she says she was a bit stunned to see nearly all the African-American representatives seated on one side and toward the back of the chamber.

“Well, it kind of bothers me,” Carpenter admits. “I’ve looked at it, but I’m just not sure because I don’t even know how the seat assignments are done. I was just assigned a seat.”

Representative Ed Price of Gonzales says it’s not what it appears.

“Yes, there are more African-Americans to the right, but we are sprinkled around the House. We’re just not on one side. The seat assignments are actually given by seniority.”

When a seat on the House floor becomes vacant, it’s offered to the most senior representatives first. For example, 14 seats opened up this time, just because of term limits. New members are allowed to choose from among the seats unclaimed by returning representatives. Price says members, who sit two to a desk, often choose to sit with fellow Republicans, fellow Democrats, or fellow caucus members.

“And you just feel more comfortable if you know that your seat mate is also a member of your party,” Price explains.

For example, another group of African-American representatives sits on the opposite side, and toward the front, with the rest of the New Orleans-area contingent. Representative Joseph Bouie, the newly-elected chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus is one of that group.

And although the majority do sit to the rear and the right, as seen from the chamber doors, Price notes that from the Speaker’s viewpoint, the bulk of the Democratic contingent is to the left.

“It is by choice,” Price says. “So it’s not anybody saying, ‘Okay, you have to sit over there.’ Because you don’t.”