Sen. Morrell Adamantly Opposed to Senate Bill 469, Provides Clarification as to Concurrence Vote Error

From Senator MorrellDistrict 3 State Senator Jean Paul “JP” Morrell wants to set the record straight. He did not support the passage of Senate Bill 469, a measure designed to halt a lawsuit filed by the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East against oil companies for damages to the Louisiana coast.He voted against the amendment to make the bill retroactive which impacts the flood protection authority suit. He voted against the bill on final passage in the Senate. When the measure came up again in the Senate for a vote on concurring in House amendments to the bill, Sen. Morrell was not even in the chamber. His official vote in support of concurring with the House amendments to the bill was in error.“I consistently opposed this bill on every vote, every amendment throughout the legislative process. In fact, I was one of only a handful of people who spoke against the bill during the initial debate on the Senate floor,” Sen. Morrell said. “I was not even in the Senate chamber at the time of the vote on concurrence. I was meeting with constituents on a capital outlay matter. Apparently, my machine was voted yea in error in my absence.”Sen. Morrell became aware of the erroneous vote on Sunday, June 1st. He immediately filed the proper paperwork to have the Senate Daily Journal, the only official record of Senate proceedings, amended to show that he intended to vote nay on SB 469. For technical reasons, the journal was not actually updated on the Internet until recently.Unlike the Louisiana House of Representatives, the Louisiana Senate does not allow members to change their votes on any measure. An explanation of a vote is allowed.To view Sen. Morrell’s remarks on the Senate floor during the debate on SB 469 click here