|
|
The Legislator as
Representative
Factors Affecting How A House Member Serves in
Public Office
The legislator has a
number of roles – as representative, as lawmaker, and as
controller of the purse strings. Though the member serves as
representative in all of these roles, the member has a direct
role as representative in serving the district. This section of
the Orientation Guide covers matters of interest to the
individual legislator.
As an individual
representative, the House member has a number of concerns. Areas
of particular importance, all of which are explained more fully
in the following pages, are:
Constituent Services
The member may
serve district constituents in a variety of ways, including:
assisting in obtaining aid from public agencies; providing
information about state programs, current law, and pending
legislation; seeking ideas and opinions and expressing his
or her own; providing assistance at the State Capitol; and
securing assistance, projects, and programs for the
district.
Laws Concerning
Legislators' Conduct and Conflict of Interest (ethics and
financial disclosure, campaign finance, lobbyists,
elections, and other prohibited conduct)
The Code of
Governmental Ethics permits the member to receive only
certain things having economic value from certain persons
and specifically prohibits certain actions and activities.
It also requires legislators to disclose income from certain
sources and certain information relative to filing tax
returns. The campaign finance laws require reports of
election contributions and expenditures, limit the amounts
of contributions, and also prohibit certain practices. The
legislature has enacted laws regulating legislative
lobbying. These laws require registration and disclosure of
expenditures by lobbyists and regulate campaign
contributions by lobbyists and lobbyist principals during
legislative sessions. Other laws prohibit certain practices
in elections. Additionally, a number of provisions of the
Criminal Code affect public officeholders.
Emoluments
Allowances are
available for district office expenses and furnishings,
payment of the salary of a legislative assistant, and the
member's monthly expenses. (See Representatives'
Emoluments, beginning on page C-19.)
Many resources to
assist the member in matters of concern to the member and
the district are available from staff in Baton Rouge, both
information in written form and other types of assistance.
Many other state government sources of information and
assistance are available to the member and his or her
constituents. (See Information Resources beginning on
page G-1.)
Services to
Constituents
Some Ways a Representative May Assist
Constituents
Interaction with
constituents is a basic activity of any legislator. The
following is an overview of some of the types of services that a
legislator can provide to his or her constituents.
Maintaining a
district office with a capable and responsive legislative
assistant is very important. The district office is the hub
of constituent linkage and is the nucleus around which all
services and contacts revolve.
As a "caseworker",
the legislator and his or her staff can aid in solving both
governmental and personal problems. A constituent or a local
agency may need specific help or information to resolve a
wide range of difficulties, such as those related to
hurricane recovery, social services, Medicaid, public
retirement systems, transportation, public safety, or
corrections. The legislator is often an arbiter and an
enabler, intervening with a state agency on a constituent's
behalf. Veterans, or their dependents or survivors, may need
assistance in dealing with state and federal veterans'
offices. Many times constituents only need to locate the
correct person to assist them with a governmental problem,
and other times they just want someone to hear their story.
When a problem is satisfactorily resolved, this "casework"
can be very rewarding.
Information
concerning student financial aid for postsecondary education
is frequently the subject of inquiry from constituents.
The Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA)
acts as the state guarantor under the Federal Family
Education Loan Program and administers most state funded
grant and scholarship programs, including the Tuition
Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS), a merit-based aid
program, and the Louisiana Go Grant Program, a need-based
aid program. LOSFA also administers the START program, a
qualified state tuition program, which is designed to give
parents a tax-advantaged method of saving for their
children's postsecondary education and includes a matching
state grant for amounts saved. Information concerning the
programs administered by LOSFA and other sources of
postsecondary education financing can be found on LOSFA's
website (http://www.osfa.state.la.us) or by calling their
toll-free phone number at 1-800-259-5626. The financial aid
office of any postsecondary institution is also a good
source of information concerning student financial
assistance. Legislators also have the ability under state
law to award a tuition-free scholarship at Tulane
University, subject to specific guidelines.
An overview of the
program is available on Tulane's website as follows:(http://financialaid.tulane.edu/legislative_scholarship.shtml).
In addition, Tulane
can provide information at (504) 988-3390. (For more
information regarding these provisions of law, contact the
staff of the House Committee on Education at (225)
342-2408.)
The legislator and
his or her assistant are often called upon to provide
specific information about legislation, both proposed
legislation being considered during session and that enacted
into law during a previous session. House Legislative
Services staff can help by providing information on existing
or proposed law. In addition, district office assistance
phone lines staffed by the Poynter Legislative Research
Library, as well as certain computer programs and the
legislative websites, provide a wealth of information,
including bill status, bill history, bill text, amendments,
fiscal notes, committee agendas, and daily journals. (See
Information Resources beginning on page G-1.)
To keep in touch
with constituents' views, a legislator may have community
meetings where people can express opinions or concerns. The
legislator will also receive correspondence expressing
opinions on certain bills and issues. Constituents will
telephone, fax, or e-mail their legislator during session
concerning the legislator's vote on certain bills. Returning
calls and emails from constituents can help the legislator
better understand how the people of the district stand on
particular issues or bills before an upcoming vote.
Newsletters or opinion polls sent to voters can inform them
about session activities and provide feedback to the
legislator.
The House Public
Information Office ((225) 342-9795) in the State Capitol
Annex (office B33) assists members and staff with all facets
of public information and media relations as they develop
and set public policy. To accomplish this mission, the
office designs marketing strategies; offers informational
materials including speeches, a House newsletter, and weekly
session updates on legislation; provides media services,
including still photography and news releases; creates
publications that increase knowledge of and promote public
involvement in the legislative process; acts as liaison with
the media, schools and community organizations, and the
public; and develops audio, video, and print communication
materials. Visit the office website at
http://house.louisiana.gov/h_pio/index.asp.
Arranging tours of
the State Capitol may be requested by schools or other
groups in the district. The state tourist information desk
in the Capitol will help with the arrangements. When groups
visit, House members may, as a point of personal privilege,
introduce them while the House is in session. The House
Public Information Office ((225) 342-9795) can also provide
photos of your group at the Capitol, information about other
Baton Rouge tour sites, arrangements for students' lunches,
and a more detailed program about the House and the
legislative process. (For more information on State Capitol
tours, see page G-7.)
Local governments rely heavily upon
financial assistance from state government. State government
provides assistance through annual appropriations for such
programs as supplemental pay for police and firemen,
dedicated revenues from state taxes, and revenues allocated
as required by the constitution. Legislators often introduce
legislation to provide for assistance to local government,
such as the return of sales tax revenues collected from
hotels to the tourism commission, the governing authority,
or some other entity in the parish in which the money was
collected. Legislators work with their officials to develop
legislation needed to assist local governments and special
districts in carrying out their functions and to assist with
economic development in the member's district.
The Legislator as Representative
|
