Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
Encyclopedia
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
Governor Edwin Washington Edwards. The previous law, passed in the 1950s during the Robert F. Kennon
administration, was repeal
ed in 1956 by the Louisiana State Legislature
under Kennon’s successor, Earl Kemp Long. Teeming from its success with right-to-work, LABI quickly unified the state's business community into a visible, well-financed, fully staffed organization to speak for business year-round as well as during state legislative sessions.
LABI has also been involved in education reform matters. Jackie Ducote, as an LABIU vice president, worked in the area of promoting alternatives to public education
but with little success. In 1987, LABI issued the report "Ten Years of Education Reform in Louisiana: A Long Journey to Nowhere". Most reforms, Ducote found, had been "watered down, ignored, not implemented properly, taken to court by the teacher unions and others, mired in turf battles, or not funded." Similar reforms pushed by Governor Buddy Roemer
in 1988 met the same opposition from the Democratic constituency groups. LABI maintains that parents in effect must "pay twice" to obtain educational reform, taxes for public schools and their own private tuition.
think-tank, the Public Affairs Research Council, which had proposed various "good government" reforms during the administration of then Governor John J. McKeithen.
Originally a Democrat, Steimel over the years moved steadily toward support of the more conservative candidates, often within the Republican Party
. LABI and Steimel often sparred with the Democrat Victor Bussie
, long-term president of the Louisiana AFL-CIO
, who has long fought right-to-work. In 1989, however, the pair united to support Republican John S. Treen
, older brother of former Governor David C. Treen
, in a special election
for the District 81 seat in the Louisiana State House of Representatives
, vacated by Charles Cusimano
, who became a state district judge. Treen narrowly lost the race to David Duke
, then of Jefferson Parish
, a former figure in the Ku Klux Klan
. Duke later ran for the U.S. Senate and for governor in consecutive years in races which seemed to hamper the growth of the state GOP.
In 1987, Steimel encouraged Democrat-turned-Republican Jock Scott
of Alexandria
, an outgoing member of the state House, to run for the Louisiana State Senate
, a position that Scott lost to the Democratic businessman Joe McPherson
of Rapides Parish
. Among the lawmakers consistently in support of LABI was Ron Gomez
, a Democrat from Lafayette
, who in 1986 secured the "Most Valuable Player to Business" designation. Despite his business voting record, Gomez, however, had criticized Steimel for unproductive negativity toward the state's educational structure.
In 1996, having left LABI, Steimel supported the conservative Democrat-turned-Republican Woody Jenkins
of Baton Rouge
for the U.S. Senate in a race narrowly lost to the Democrat Mary Landrieu
. He also contributed to the reelection of then U.S. Representative Richard H. Baker of Baton Rouge. In 2007, the long retired Steimel worked for the election of Republican Governor Bobby Jindal
. Thereafter, he withdrew his support for Jindal, saying that the governor was insufficiently conservative on fiscal matters, having vacillated over a large legislative pay hike, which Jindal subsequently withdrew.
The LABI address is 3113 Valley Creek Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70898-0258. The association is now headed by executive director Dan Juneau.
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
group in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
. It was founded 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...
in 1976, when Louisiana adopted a new right-to-work law
Right-to-work law
Right-to-work laws are statutes enforced in twenty-two U.S. states, mostly in the southern or western U.S., allowed under provisions of the federal Taft–Hartley Act, which prohibit agreements between labor unions and employers that make membership, payment of union dues, or fees a condition of...
during the administration of Democratic
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...
Governor Edwin Washington Edwards. The previous law, passed in the 1950s during the Robert F. Kennon
Robert F. Kennon
Robert Floyd Kennon, Sr., known as Bob Kennon , was the 48th Governor of Louisiana, serving from 1952-1956. He failed to win a second non-consecutive term in the 1963 Democratic primary....
administration, was repeal
Repeal
A repeal is the amendment, removal or reversal of a law. This is generally done when a law is no longer effective, or it is shown that a law is having far more negative consequences than were originally envisioned....
ed in 1956 by the Louisiana State Legislature
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...
under Kennon’s successor, Earl Kemp Long. Teeming from its success with right-to-work, LABI quickly unified the state's business community into a visible, well-financed, fully staffed organization to speak for business year-round as well as during state legislative sessions.
LABI has also been involved in education reform matters. Jackie Ducote, as an LABIU vice president, worked in the area of promoting alternatives to public education
Public education
State schools, also known in the United States and Canada as public schools,In much of the Commonwealth, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, the terms 'public education', 'public school' and 'independent school' are used for private schools, that is, schools...
but with little success. In 1987, LABI issued the report "Ten Years of Education Reform in Louisiana: A Long Journey to Nowhere". Most reforms, Ducote found, had been "watered down, ignored, not implemented properly, taken to court by the teacher unions and others, mired in turf battles, or not funded." Similar reforms pushed by Governor Buddy Roemer
Buddy Roemer
Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer III is an American politician who served as the 52nd Governor of Louisiana, from 1988 to 1992. He was elected as a Democrat but switched to the Republican Party on March 11, 1991...
in 1988 met the same opposition from the Democratic constituency groups. LABI maintains that parents in effect must "pay twice" to obtain educational reform, taxes for public schools and their own private tuition.
Edward J. Steimel
LABI’s founding former executive director is Edward J. Steimel (born 1922) of East Baton Rouge Parish, who had previously headed the nonpartisanNonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
think-tank, the Public Affairs Research Council, which had proposed various "good government" reforms during the administration of then Governor John J. McKeithen.
Originally a Democrat, Steimel over the years moved steadily toward support of the more conservative candidates, often within the Republican Party
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...
. LABI and Steimel often sparred with the Democrat Victor Bussie
Victor Bussie
Victor V. Bussie was until his retirement in 1997 the 41-year unopposed president of the Louisiana AFL-CIO, having first assumed the mantle of union leadership in 1956. Journalists often described him as the most significant non-elected "official" in his state's politics...
, long-term president of the Louisiana AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
, who has long fought right-to-work. In 1989, however, the pair united to support Republican John S. Treen
John S. Treen
John Speir Treen is a retired homebuilder from Metairie in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, who lost a 1989 special election for the Louisiana House of Representatives to the former Ku Klux Klansman David Duke. Treen is the older brother of the late David C. Treen, the first Republican governor of...
, older brother of former Governor David C. Treen
David C. Treen
David Conner "Dave" Treen, Sr. , was an American attorney and politician from Mandeville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana – the first Republican Governor of the U.S. state of Louisiana since Reconstruction. He was the first Republican in modern times to have served in the U.S...
, in a special election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
for the District 81 seat in the Louisiana State 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...
, vacated by Charles Cusimano
Charles Cusimano
Charles Vincent Cusimano, II, known as Chuck Cusimano is a Republican politician from Metairie in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana....
, who became a state district judge. Treen narrowly lost the race to David Duke
David Duke
David Ernest Duke is a former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan an American activist and writer, and former Republican Louisiana State Representative. He was also a former candidate in the Republican presidential primaries in 1992, and in the Democratic presidential primaries in...
, then of Jefferson Parish
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Jefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. The seat of parish government is Gretna....
, a former figure in the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
. Duke later ran for the U.S. Senate and for governor in consecutive years in races which seemed to hamper the growth of the state GOP.
In 1987, Steimel encouraged Democrat-turned-Republican Jock Scott
Jock Scott
John Wyeth "Jock" Scott, II was a lawyer and college professor in Alexandria, who served three terms from District 26 in the Louisiana House of Representatives, first as a Democrat and then as a Republican . He was defeated in a race for the Louisiana State Senate in 1987...
of Alexandria
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
, an outgoing member of the state House, to run for 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...
, a position that Scott lost to the Democratic businessman Joe McPherson
Joe McPherson
William Joseph "Joe" McPherson, Jr., is a retiring veteran Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate from Woodworth, a small community south of Alexandria, Louisiana, the seat of government of Rapides Parish and the largest city in the Central Louisiana region...
of Rapides Parish
Rapides Parish, Louisiana
-Military Installations:*Camp Beauregard *Esler Airfield *England Air Force Base *Camp Claiborne *Camp Livingston -Demographics:...
. Among the lawmakers consistently in support of LABI was Ron Gomez
Ron Gomez
Ronald James Gomez, Sr., known as Ron Gomez , is a veteran print and broadcast journalist, author , and businessman from Lafayette, Louisiana, who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from Lafayette Parish, from 1980-1989. From 1990-1992, he was the secretary of natural resources in...
, a Democrat from Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
, who in 1986 secured the "Most Valuable Player to Business" designation. Despite his business voting record, Gomez, however, had criticized Steimel for unproductive negativity toward the state's educational structure.
In 1996, having left LABI, Steimel supported the conservative Democrat-turned-Republican Woody Jenkins
Woody Jenkins
Louis Elwood "Woody" Jenkins is a newspaper editor in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972–2000 and waged three unsuccessful races for the United States Senate....
of 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...
for the U.S. Senate in a race narrowly lost to the Democrat Mary Landrieu
Mary Landrieu
Mary Loretta Landrieu is the senior United States Senator from the State of Louisiana and a member of the Democratic Party.Born in Arlington, Virginia, Landrieu was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana...
. He also contributed to the reelection of then U.S. Representative Richard H. Baker of Baton Rouge. In 2007, the long retired Steimel worked for the election of Republican 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....
. Thereafter, he withdrew his support for Jindal, saying that the governor was insufficiently conservative on fiscal matters, having vacillated over a large legislative pay hike, which Jindal subsequently withdrew.
The LABI address is 3113 Valley Creek Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70898-0258. The association is now headed by executive director Dan Juneau.