House Committee Backs 30th Minority House District

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Against the wishes of House Speaker Jim Tucker, the House redistricting committee has narrowly backed a redesign of the 105 state House districts that would add a new minority district in Shreveport.

Jim Tucker, a Republican, proposed a remapping plan that would increase majority black districts from 27 to 29. The chairman of the House and Governmental Affairs Committee, Democratic Rep. Rick Gallot, proposed an amendment to boost that to 30, by creating another majority black district in Caddo Parish.

The committee approved Gallot's amendment in a 10-9 vote Wednesday as it tweaked the House redistricting plan. The vote is among the most significant disputes over how to redraw House districts. Lawmakers disagree on whether it would be discriminatory to exclude a 30th minority district.