§ 18:444 — Parish executive committees

Louisiana § 18:444

• Jurisdiction: Louisiana
• Title 18: Conservation

Text

§444. Parish executive committees
A. Qualifications of members. A member of a parish executive committee of a
recognized political party shall meet the qualifications established by the rules and
regulations of the state central committee of that recognized political party. The
qualifications for membership on parish executive committees of a recognized political party
shall be uniform throughout the state.
B. Election and term. (1) Members of a parish executive committee of a recognized
political party shall be elected every four years at the same time as the presidential preference
primary election. The term of office of the members shall be until their successors are
qualified and elected.
(2) Repealed by Acts 1995, No. 300, §1, eff. June 15, 1995.
(3) Candidates for membership on a parish executive committee of a recognized
political party shall qualify for office pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 5 of this Title.
(4)(a) If the number of candidates who qualified for office exceeds the number of
candidates to be elected for that office, the candidate who receives the greater number of
votes cast shall be elected. If two or more offices of the same character are to be filled, each
candidate who received the greater number of votes cast, as compared with the number of
votes cast for each other candidate, is elected until all offices are filled. If two or more
candidates receive the same number of votes, and as a result thereof, the number of
candidates who would otherwise be elected exceed the number of remaining offices, the
offices shall be filled by a public drawing of lots among such candidates conducted by a
parish executive committee at its organizational meeting held pursuant to Subsection C of
this Section.
(b) If, after the close of the qualifying period, the number of candidates for
membership on a political party committee does not exceed the number of members to be
elected to the committee, the candidates for membership on that political party committee,
or those remaining after the death or withdrawal of one or more candidates, are declared
elected by the people, and their names shall not appear on the ballot.
C. Meetings. (1) The newly-elected members of the parish executive committee of
a recognized political party shall meet at the parish courthouse, shall take office, and
organize the committee within forty days after their election. A majority of the newly-elected
members of the parish executive committee shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of
organizing and filling any vacancies which may exist due to death, ineligibility, or failure to
fill a vacancy by election.
(2) Proxy voting. A member of a parish executive committee may vote by written
proxy subject to the following conditions:
(a) A member shall not vote by proxy at more than two consecutive meetings.
(b) A member shall exercise the proxy votes of no more than two other members at
any time.
D. Officers. At the first meeting of the parish executive committee of a recognized
political party, the newly-elected members of the committee shall elect the officers provided
for by the rules and regulations of the state central committee of that political party, which
shall be uniform for all parish executive committees. The chairman of each parish executive
committee shall submit the name of each officer to the secretary of state within five business
days of the election of the officers and shall submit any change in the officers to the secretary
of state within five business days of the change.
E. Powers of the committee. The parish executive committee of a recognized
political party may adopt rules and regulations for its government that are not inconsistent
with the laws of this state or the rules and regulations of the state central committee, and it
may create any committee it deems necessary. The rules and regulations of the parish
executive committee of a recognized political party shall be filed with the clerk of court
within ten days after their adoption. In parishes which have a civil and a criminal district
court, the rules and regulations of a parish executive committee shall be filed with the clerk
of the criminal district court.
F. Repealed by Acts 2023, No. 91, §2, eff. June 6, 2023.
G. Composition. (1) Except as provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, in each
parish the parish executive committee of a recognized political party shall be composed of
five members-at-large and as many members as there are members of the parish governing
authority. The members-at-large shall be elected from the entire parish, while the additional
members shall be elected, one each, from the districts or wards from which the members of
the parish governing authority are elected.
(2)(a) In Orleans Parish, the parish executive committee of a recognized political
party shall be composed of fourteen members elected from each councilmanic district.
(b) In Jefferson Parish, the parish executive committee of a recognized political party
shall be composed of five members elected from each councilmanic district and ten members
elected at large from the entire parish.
(c) In Lafayette Parish, the parish executive committee of a recognized political party
shall be composed of one member elected from each councilmanic district and nine members
elected at large from the parish.
(d) In Caddo Parish, the parish executive committee of the Democratic Party shall
be composed of one member elected from each parish commission district and twelve
members elected at large from the parish. All other recognized political parties in Caddo
Parish shall comply with the provisions of Paragraph (1) of this Subsection.
H. Removal. (1) An elected member of the parish executive committee is subject
to removal from office when one of the following occurs:
(a) A member establishes residence outside of the parish.
(b) A member is convicted of a felony.
(c) A member changes his official party registration.
(2) When a member of a parish executive committee commits any of the grounds for
removal set forth in this Subsection, the parish executive committee shall schedule a hearing
to review all available information on the incident. The parish executive committee shall
provide a ten-day written notice to the member prior to conducting the hearing. Removal of
the member, after completion of the hearing by the committee, shall be by a two-thirds vote
of a majority of the members of the parish executive committee at a scheduled meeting. A
vacancy in the membership of the parish executive committee created by the removal shall
be filled by appointment as provided in R.S. 18:448 at the parish executive committee's next
scheduled meeting.
I. Party with thirty percent or fewer of registered voters. Notwithstanding any
provision of law to the contrary, members of a parish executive committee of a recognized
political party with which thirty percent or less of the registered voters of the state are
affiliated shall be elected every four years at the same time as the presidential preference
primary election. The term of office shall not extend beyond the time for which the member
was elected.

Legislative History

Acts 1976, No. 697, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1978. Amended by Acts 1977, No. 477, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1978; Acts 1978, No. 292, §1, eff. July 6, 1978; Acts 1982, No. 672, §1, eff. July 22, 1982; Acts 1983, No. 519, §1, eff. July 8, 1983; Acts 1984, No. 672, §1; Acts 1986, No. 391, §1; Acts 1986, No. 1019, §1; Acts 1986, No. 1030, §1; Acts 1987, No. 119, §1, eff. June 18, 1987; Acts 1987, No. 831, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1988; Acts 1992, No. 800, §1; Acts 1992, No. 949, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1993; Acts 1993, No. 968, §1; Acts 1995, No. 300, §1, eff. June 15, 1995; Acts 2001, No. 171, §1; Acts 2003, No. 910, §1, eff. July 1, 2003; Acts 2008, No. 287, §1; Acts 2012, No. 758, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2013; Acts 2016, No. 281, §1, eff. May 31, 2016; Acts 2019, No. 374, §1, eff. June 19, 2019; Acts 2020, No. 340, §1, eff. June 13, 2020; Acts 2020, No. 350, §1, eff. June 12, 2020; Acts 2021, No. 150, §1, eff. June 11, 2021; Acts 2023, No. 91, §§1,2, eff. June 6, 2023; Acts 2023, No. 137, §1.