Rep. Mandie Landry’s record of advocacy in the Louisiana Legislature.
District 91 sent me to the legislature to be an advocate, and that's what I've done. I've passed bipartisan legislation, while also giving many of our people the opportunity to tell their stories to legislators, often for the first time. I am honored to represent a district and city that strongly supports human rights and progressive politics. I take this obligation seriously and use every moment of my elected position to educate the legislature and the public, and to start conversations. I believe that we will see progress on the issues we care about if we stay focused. - Mandie
Funding and Improvements in Quality of Life for New Orleanians
Dangerous, crime-infested apartment buildings are a huge source of homelessness and crime in New orleans. HB 370, passed this year, allows for the prosecution and jail time of slumlords who refuse to clean up or sell their squalid, crime-infested properties. Huge thanks to the City of New Orleans, District Attorney Jason Williams, and Councilmember Eugene Green for their support in passing this legislation.
Tire dumping and illegal short-term rentals are two major quality of life issues in New Orleans. HB 276 empowers the city council to double fines for violations like tire dumping and illegal short-term rentals. We currently cannot fine a person or entity more than $500 for an ordinance violation. This is a major reason why the city has difficulty addressing blight, dumped tires, and the many STR owners who ignore repeated violations. Thanks to the City of New Orleans, Councilmember Eugene Green, and Senator Joe Bouie for their support in passing this legislation.
This year, Mandie secured funding for several important projects and organizations, including $9 million for a Hollygrove drainage project, $270,000 for Metropolitan Human Services in Central City, $200,000 for the Roots of Music youth program, and another $800,000 for city programs that focus on juvenile justice and parental education.
In recent years, the Orleans Delegation has worked together to secure funding for the City and local State projects, including over $70 million for the SWB, $20 million for OPCD expansion, $4 million for LSUHSC, over $70m for the Port, $20m for the Claiborne Corridor Rehabilitation, and many other city and state projects.
Women, Families, & Children
“Reproductive rights were lost in state houses - and they will only be regained in state houses. ”
Rep. Landry knows that no one has the right to tell anyone else what to do with their body. Her principles and growing concern for Louisiana women is what lead her to run for office in 2019. Since being elected, Mandie has worked hard on behalf of women and new parents, while also fighting back against constant harmful legislation introduced in Louisiana.
Mandie’s expertise on reproductive issues makes her a strong advocate and educator on reproductive rights in Louisiana. As a longtime lawyer, she represented one of the state’s last three abortion clinics, a fertility clinic, and minors seeking permission from the court for an abortion (judicial bypass). Louisiana has never elected a person who has represented an abortion clinic to office.
It is more critical now than ever, post Roe, to have legislators who are knowledgeable and experienced with issues surrounding maternal health and reproductive rights. Since being elected, a big focus of Mandie’s work has been on improving and expanding maternal health care in Louisiana.
Mandie has worked hard two years in a row to have clear language in Louisiana law that a woman will not be arrested for having an abortion. It’s important to have people like her in the legislature who know what they’re doing on this critical issue.
There is now over $20 million dollars more in the state budget for new moms because of Rep. Landry’s legislation. Because of her 2021 legislation, and with hard work by the Louisiana Department of Health, Louisiana became the first state in the nation to expand Medicaid post-partum from 60 days to one year for all new mothers. Louisiana has one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the country. This new provision will provide immediate care to over 14,000 new mothers, and result in an almost $20 million increased investment in maternal health care in the state with combined state and federal funds.
In 2022, Rep. Landry passed HB 516, which requires public high schools to adopt policies regarding attendance, breastfeeding, and child care for all students who are pregnant or parenting. We know that most teen parents do not graduate from high school, and we want to do all we can to help them out - especially now post Roe, where we expect unplanned pregnancies to increase.
In 2020, Rep. Landry passed HB 344, which prohibits solitary confinement for incarcerated people who are pregnant or who have just given birth. This was the first change to the state’s solitary confinement law in over a century, and it has paved the way for other solitary confinement reform measures. For example, in 2021, Rep. Landry worked with the Stop Solitary Coalition to end solitary confinement for those with mental health issues.
During the 2021 session, Rep. Landry passed HB 301, which provides a refundable tax credit for funeral expenses related to pregnancy related deaths.
In 2022, Rep. Landry passed HB 64 to ensure that 17 year old abuse victims and witnesses are provided the same legal protections as all other minors.
Gun Violence
Addressing gun violence is one of Rep. Landry’s top priorities. She is endorsed by Everytown for Gun Safety and is a Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate, and works frequently with the organization to defeat dangerous gun bills and promote gun safety measures.
This year, Rep. Landry did the unthinkable: she passed bipartisan gun safety legislation in Louisiana. This is a HUGE feat for a legislator in any red state - but especially in Louisiana, which came close yet again to passing concealed carry. HB 247 is one step towards stronger, bipartisan gun safety; it encourages people, through a tax credit, to buy gun safes & storage devices, to prevent child deaths & gun thefts. The firearm industry reported on the bill approvingly, & the Times-Picayune wrote a very impressed editorial, writing:
“Bipartisan understates the support Landry’s bill generated. It passed both the House and Senate unanimously. We applaud Landry, an indefatigable liberal, for finding a way to rally her conservative colleagues behind a sensible gun safety measure."
Rep. Landry is one of the few members of the Louisiana House of Representatives to file gun safety bills. In 2021, she attempted to have the state require background checks for any gun purchases. In 2022, she filed a bill that would have allowed New Orleans to pass its own gun safety laws.
Criminal Justice
In 2020, Rep. Landry passed HB 344, which prohibits solitary confinement for incarcerated people who are pregnant or who have just given birth. This was the first change to the state’s solitary confinement law in over a century, and it has paved the way for other solitary confinement reform measures. For example, in 2021, Rep. Landry worked with the Stop Solitary Coalition to end solitary confinement for those with mental health issues.
Rep. Landry filed HB 175 with VOTE, which would have removed all infirmary co-payments for those who are incarcerated. Committee members refused time and again to pass the bill. Soon after the session, the Department of Corrections passed their own regulations to do just this. There are many ways to make positive changes.
Rep. Landry’s other bills related to sex workers, abortion, guns, and marijuana all touch on criminal justice issues as well.
Marijuana
In 2022, Rep. Landry passed the first legislation in Louisiana to address employment protections for people with a medical marijuana prescription. Although Louisiana has had a medical marijuana program for several years, we have no protections in law for workers who use this medicine. We have a ways to go before all workers are protected, and this is our first step.
Rep. Landry also set up a medical marijuana task force to examine ways that we can expand these employment protections by the next session. Check out this video of the short and successful presentation that Rep. Landry made to the Senate Labor Committee.
Mandie’s 2023 bill to expand medical marijuana employment protections actually made it out of the House Labor committee, where other progressive legislation is always killed (minimum wage, FMLA, worker misclassification, etc.).Unfortunately, the powerful business lobby killed it. It's inexcusable that the state of Louisiana legalized a medicine that it sells to our people.....which they then can no longer buy because they don't have a job. We need to fix this next year, together.
Flooding, Hazard Mitigation, & Managing Water in a Changing Climate
Through her position on the Ways & Means Committee, Rep. Landry secured $9 million in funding for a drainage project in Hollygrove, the Monticello Canal Culverts at Airline Highway.
Oysters are one of our favorite natural assets. Mandie passed legislation - “the happiest little bill” - to financially support an oyster-focused coastal restoration program run by the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. The TP also reported on this favorably - on the front page of the paper. HB 255 creates a tax credit for restaurants that recycle oyster shells that would otherwise be discarded. The bill incentivizes Louisiana restaurants to recycle oyster shell by providing a tax credit of $1 per 50 pounds of shell they recycle, in order to offset the costs associated with joining shell recycling efforts. Oyster reefs slow coastal erosion, create habitats for new oysters to grow, and help to absorb storm surge during hurricanes and tropical storms.
In 2022, Rep. Landry set up the Hazard Mitigation Loan Fund. This fund, financed with federal dollars, will be available for both home elevations for homeowners and public flood control projects. It does not count as a duplication of federal benefits (meaning, it can be used for your personal match, if required).
Rep. Landry also passed HB 160, which provides protections to tenants facing eviction after a natural disaster. This bill, which was featured in the Governor’s State of the State address, passed with bipartisan, unanimous support - not an easy thing to do in the Louisiana Legislature, in particular with tenant protections. Rep. Landry has filed legislation every year since being elected to enhance tenant protections.
Rep. Landry also set up a task force to examine and offer suggestions on how the New Orleans S&WB can potentially reform its current structure. The task force was created to study the over 100 years of the S&WB’s complicated existence and the twists and turns it has taken as a state entity so that we can better understand how we as a city can restructure or at least, reform this complicated entity
Labor & Workers’ Rights
Rep. Landry goes above and beyond when the situation calls for it: in 2021, she filed a lawsuit against the Governor when he and the Legislature cruelly cut off federal unemployment benefits to workers - one month before Hurricane Ida hit. This decision also cost the state $250,000,000 in federal money.
Sex work is work! Rep. Landry, along with a group of strong and organized advocates, filed the first legislation in the country to decriminalize sex work. Consenting behavior between adults should not be a crime; all workers deserve a safe and healthy working environment; and arresting victims of trafficking - often on prostitution charges - only harms, and doesn’t help these victims. Conflating trafficking with consensual labor is a misconception that must be clarified. This movement has gained traction since then: John Oliver did a segment on this issue that featured the hearing on Rep. Landry’s bill. Rep. Landry strongly supports labor rights and worker safety.
In addition to the worker protections noted above, Rep. Landry worked to strengthen the state’s worker misclassification laws. When businesses illegally misclassify employees as independent contractors, it strips the worker of protections and cheats the government out of tax revenue, which leads to higher taxes on businesses that follow the law.
Civil Rights: Voting & LGBTQ+ Priorities
Rep. Landry filed the first bill that would ban conversion therapy in Louisiana, a tortuous "therapy" that harms LGBTQ children. This practice has been banned in 20 states, and the bottom line is that it hurts people and doesn't work. We held two full committee meetings on this bill, worked on amendments, and had a lot of support from the committee. At the last minute, the Attorney General's office came in to mislead the committee and torpedo the bill. We will keep fighting to protect the LGBTQ community.
Rep. Landry was one of a very few legislators who spoke on the floor of the House in defense of transgender children during the recent veto session.
When Covid hit in 2020, voters were understandably nervous about their safety during voting in the pending elections. Rep. Landry had already filed a bill to expand voting by mail - a common sense approach to voting that is popular throughout the state.
Tenants’ Rights
Rep. Landry passed HB 160, which provides protections to tenants facing eviction after a natural disaster. This bill, which was featured in the Governor’s State of the State address, passed with bipartisan, unanimous support - not an easy thing to do in the Louisiana Legislature, in particular with tenant protections. Rep. Landry has filed legislation every year since being elected to enhance tenant protections.
In 2021, Rep. Landry sponsored a bill, which passed out of the Judiciary Committee, that would have provided a fund for pro bono attorneys in eviction court in Orleans Parish. The work by her, her delegation colleagues, and housing advocates helped to lead to the New Orleans City Council establishing a right to counsel in eviction proceedings.
Housing is a human right. Dangerous, crime-infested apartment buildings are a huge source of homelessness and crime in New Orleans. HB 370, passed this year, allows for the prosecution and jail time of slumlords who refuse to clean up or sell their squalid, crime-infested properties. Huge thanks to the City of New Orleans, District Attorney Jason Williams, and Councilmember Eugene Green for their support in passing this legislation.
Taxes and Tax Reform
Rep. Landry has pushed for progressive tax reform measures, including a millionaire’s tax and reinstating the inheritance tax. The state of Louisiana has continuously cut taxes for the wealthy and large corporations, while slashing essential healthcare and education services badly needed in our poor state. We can’t cut our way to a healthier state.
This year, Rep. Landry passed bipartisan gun safety legislation in Louisiana. HB 247 encourages people, through a tax credit, to buy gun safes & storage devices, to prevent child deaths & gun thefts. The firearm industry reported on the bill approvingly, & the Times-Picayune wrote approvingly on the bill.
Oysters are one of our favorite natural assets. Mandie passed HB 255- “the happiest little bill” - to financially support an oyster-focused coastal restoration program run by the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. This bill creates a tax credit for restaurants that recycle oyster shells that would otherwise be discarded. The TP also reported on this favorably - on the front page of the paper. The bill incentivizes Louisiana restaurants to recycle oyster shells by providing a tax credit of $1 per 50 pounds of shell they recycle, in order to offset the costs associated with joining shell recycling efforts. Oyster reefs slow coastal erosion, create habitats for new oysters to grow, and help to absorb storm surges during hurricanes and tropical storms.
During the 2021 session, Rep. Landry passed HB 301, which provides a refundable tax credit for funeral expenses related to pregnancy-related deaths.
Good Government
In 2022, Rep. Landry filed legislation to pass term limits for sheriffs and assessors, the first effort to do so since term limits were imposed on legislators. The bill on assessors made it out of committee; the one on sheriffs resulted in a room full of displeased sheriffs who succeeded in crushing the bill. This issue will come up again, as Louisiana voters love term limits.
This year, Rep. Landry filed a bill to create a ballot initiative process in Louisiana. This would allow voters to place proposed legislation directly on a ballot. About half of all states have this very democratic process. Unfortunately, the powerful interests that control the legislature killed the bill in committee.
Investigation of Louisiana State Police
Rep. Landry is one of 8 representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House to the Special Committee to Inquire Into the Circumstances and Investigation of the Death of Ronald Greene. This committee has uncovered formerly unknown information not only surrounding Mr. Greene's death but about potential wrongdoing within the Louisiana State Police. The Committee's investigation has led to the Department of Justice opening a pattern or practice investigation into the LSP.
Rep. Landry’s 2024-2028 Committees
Insurance
Judiciary
Ways and Means
Joint Legislative Committee on Capital Outlay
Rep. Landry’s Prior Committees
Civil Law and Procedure
Judiciary
Natural Resources and Environment
Special Committee to Inquire into the Circumstances and Investigation of the Death of Ronald Greene
Ways and Means