Stuart Bishop

Stuart James Bishop (born August 19, 1975) is a businessman in Lafayette, Louisiana, and a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 43. He succeeded his fellow Republican, Page Cortez of Lafayette, who instead became the District 23 state senator. With no previous political experience, Bishop was the only unopposed candidate for an open House seat in the Louisiana nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 22, 2011.[1]

Stuart James Bishop
Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from the 43 district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 9, 2012
Preceded by	Page Cortez
Personal details
Born	August 19, 1975 Jeanerette, Iberia Parish Louisiana, USA
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Kim Dugas Bishop
Children	Donald and Cooper Bishop
Residence	Lafayette, Louisiana
Alma mater	Louisiana State University
Occupation	Businessman

Similarly, Cortez had no opponent in the Senate race to succeed the term-limited Michael J. Michot, another Lafayette businessman and a Democrat-turned Republican. A third Republican, former state Representative Ronnie Johns of Sulphur in Calcasieu Parish, also ran unopposed and succeeded the term-limited Willie Landry Mount in the District 27 seat in the state Senate.[2]

Background

A native of Jeanerette in Iberia Parish, Bishop graduated from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. In 1997, after leaving LSU, he moved to Lafayette. He is an officer of his family's business, Baldwin Redi-Mix Concrete. Bishop and his wife, the former Kim Dugas, have two sons, Donald and Cooper Bishop.[3]

Political life

Even before it was clear that Bishop would run without opposition for the House seat, the candidate drew the endorsement of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry.[4] Bishop also carried the support of the TEA Party movement, which endorsed his candidacy based on Bishop's stated belief in smaller government and the desire to reduce regulations that hamper business growth.[5]

Bishop declared that the state is moving in the right direction: "I believe that business is obviously the backbone of everything, and I'm going to be a pro-business politician by all means." Bishop is a member of the Lafayette Education Foundation, the Concrete and Aggregate Association of Louisiana, the National Redi-Mix Concrete Association, and Downtown Lafayette Unlimited.[3]

Bishop's legislative ratings have ranged from 97 to 100 percent from LABI. In 2012, he was rated 100 percent by the National Federation of Independent Business. In 2013 and 2014, the conservative Louisiana Family Forum scored him 90 percent each year. He is rated 100 percent by Louisiana Right to Life. In 2013 and 2014, the Louisiana Association of Educators rated him 0 percent for both years.[6]

In 2014, Bishop co-sponsored the requirement that abortion providers have hospital admitting privileges near their clinics; the bill was approved by the full House, 88-5. In 2014, he voted to extend the time for implementation of the Common Core State Standards Initiative. He voted to prohibit the transportation of dogs in the beds of pick-up trucks while traveling on interstate highways. He did not vote on the requirement that companies give notice when they engage in hydraulic fracking. He voted against the repeal of the anti-sodomy laws. He co-sponsored the establishment in 2013 of surrogacy contracts. He voted to reduce penalties for the possession of marijuana. He supported lifetime concealed carry gun permits and voted for concealed carry in restaurants that sell alcoholic beverages. He opposed making information about permit holders a matter of public record. Bishop in 2013 voted against an increase in judicial pay and opposed the removal of the mandatory retirement age for judges. In 2012, he voted to prohibit the use of telephones while driving. He supported tax incentives for attracting a National Basketball Association team to Louisiana and for individuals who contribute to scholarship funds. He voted to reduce the number of hours that polling locations remain open; Louisiana has traditionally had 14-hour polling days. He supported the requirement for drug testing of welfare recipients, which passed the House, 65 to 26.[7]

In April 2017, the House Education Committee approved legislation introduced by Representative Bishop, to require public schools to add litter prevention and awareness instruction for pupils in kindergarten to the fifth grade. "I grew up on Bayou Teche, and it's filthy; I live half a mile from the Vermilion River, and it's filthy. It's a travesty what we are doing to our state. I'm tired of seeing cans and bottles floating down our bayous," Bishop said in plugging for his bill.[8] A few weeks earlier, then state parks director Robert J. Barham, in testimony before a House committee termed Louisiana "the trashiest state in the nation. We should hang our heads in shame when Arkansas and Mississippi are cleaner than Louisiana," Barham said.[8]

On May 15, 2018, Bishop and state Senator Norby Chabert of Houma engaged in a fistfight over legislative disagreement at the River Room in Baton Rouge.[9]

References

1. "Two New Senators Walk in Unopposed". lapolitics.com. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
2. "Many La. incumbents get a free pass, September 9, 2011". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
3. "Bishop eyeing Cortez seat, February 18, 2011". theind.com. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
4. "LABI endorses Bishop". electstuartbishop.com. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
5. "The TEA Party of Lafayette endorses Mr. Stuart Bishop for District 43 State Representative" (PDF). teapartyoflafayette.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-02. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
6. "Stuart Bishop's Ratings and Endorsements". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
7. "Stuart Bishop's Voting Records". Project Vote Smart. May 12, 2015.
8. Greg Hilburn (April 28, 2017). "Trashiest state? Lawmaker believes kids can change La.'s litter culture". The Alexandria Town Talk. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
9. https://www.thenewsstar.com/story/news/2018/05/16/lawmakers-come-blows-b-r-bar/615455002/