Rep. Paula Davis, R-Baton Rouge, stood her ground at a last-minute attempt to threaten her compromise sales-tax bill on the House floor Friday. (Photo: Sarah Gamard)
Kaylee Poche and Devon Sanders
When Rep. Paula Davis of Baton Rouge put forward a compromise Friday to resolve an epic fight over funding state government, a fellow Republican proposed an amendment that could have placed the bill in jeopardy.
As Rep. Raymond Crews of Shreveport, approached the podium, Davis firmly shook her head no and repeatedly told him, “Do not do this.” Several members came rushing over to support her, and Crews backed off, prompting applause from other legislators.
That dramatic moment reminded nearly everyone in the chamber of how another Republican had rushed to the microphone to stop Rep. Julie Stokes, R-Kenner, from calling for a compromise vote earlier this month.
Stokes lost then, while Davis’ bill was approved Friday, breaking a logjam. The risks both took on such a high-stakes issue show how women are beginning to have a larger influence in a male-dominated Legislature that has not always been so hospitable to them.
LSU Manship School Statehouse Bureau 