As predicted by LouisianaVoice (a prediction any observer with half a brain could have made), HB 850 by Rep. Henry Burns (R-Haughton), otherwise known as the prison sellout bill, passed in the House Appropriations Committee. The close vote (13-11), however, was something of a surprise.

Still, the fix was in all along and few on the committee listened to pleas and protestations against the privatization of Avoyelles Correctional Center in Cottonport.

Even more surprising was four of the committee members who between them, received $64,000 from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), went contrary to ALEC’s—and Jindal’s—wishes and voted against privatizing Avoyelles, closing the J. Levy Dabadie Correctional Center in Pineville and transferring its 330 low-risk offenders to Avoyelles and for closing the Forcht Wade residential substance abuse facility in Caddo Parish and moving its inmates to the David Wade Correctional Center in Homer.

Four of the 11 who voted against the bill, including two Republicans and two Democrats, received $2,500 each from Jindal in campaign contributions but apparently felt that keeping the prisons and their guards employed outweighed the Jindal campaign contributions. They included Democrats Walt Leger and Jared Brossett, both of New Orleans, and Republicans James Morris of Oil City and Brett Geymann of Lake Charles. Morris and Geymann were the only Republicans to vote no.

One has to wonder if Jindal will demand a rebate on his investments since there were no committee chairmanships among the four to take away.

Four of five Democrats on the committee who receive contributions from neither ALEC nor Jindal voted no. They were Patricia Haynes Smith and Edward James of Baton Rouge, Helena Moreno of New Orleans and Roy Burrell of Shreveport. Robert Billiot of Westwego broke ranks with his fellow Democrats and voted in favor of the bill.

Also predictably, Rep. Jim Fannin (D-Jonesboro) held onto his committee chairmanship by metaphorically kissing Jindal’s ring (some may have a lower opinion, anatomically speaking) by voting in favor of the bill. The memory of the removal of Rep. Harold Richie (D-Bogalusa) as vice-chairman of the House Committee on Insurance had to be fresh on Fannin’s mind. Richie, sitting on the House Ways and Means Committee, voted against a proposed tax rebate for those who donate money for scholarships to private and parochial schools and was promptly stripped of his vice chairmanship of the Committee on Insurance.

The only other Democrat besides Fannin to vote for the measure was Robert Billiot of Westwego.

Jindal’s contributions to committee members and each members’ final vote included:

• Rep. Jim Fannin (D-Jonesboro)—$2500 (Y);

• Rep. Cameron Henry (R-Metairie)—$2500 (Y);

• Rep. Simone Champagne (R-Erath)—$2500 (Y);

• Rep. Charles Chaney (R-Rayville)—$2500 (Y);

• Rep. Patrick Connick (R-Marrero)—$2500 (Y);

• Rep. Franklin Foil (R-Baton Rouge)—$2500 (Y);

• Rep. Brett Geymann (R-Lake Charles)—$2500 (N);

• Rep. Joe Harrison (R-Gray)—$2500 (DID NOT VOTE);

• Rep. Bob Hensgens (R-Abbeville)—$2500 (Y);

• Rep. James Morris (R-Oil City)—$2500 (N);

• Rogers Pope (R-Denham Springs)—$2500 (Y);

• Rep. John Schroder (R-Covington)—$2500 (Y);

• Rep. John Berthelot (R-Gonzales)—$5000 (Y);

• Rep. Anthony Ligi (R-Metairie)—$5000 (Y);

• Rep. Henry Burns—$5000 (Y);

• Rep. Jared Brossett (D-New Orleans)—$2500 (N);

• Rep. Walt Leger (D-New Orleans)—$2500 (N).

Those who received contributions from ALEC’s corporate members include:

• Fannin—$6500;

• Rep. James Armes (D-Leesville)—$4500 (N);

• Champagne—$16,000;

• Geymann—$38,000;

• Harrison—$2000;

• Ligi—$20,700;

• Rep. Jack Montoucet (D-Crowley)—$6000 (N);

• Schroder—$2000;

• Rep. Ledricka Thierry (D-Opelousas)—$15,500 (N).

Two corporate members of ALEC are Corrections Corp. of America (CCA) of Nashville, Tenn. and G4S (formerly Wackenhut) of Jupiter, Fla. CCA is presently contracted to run Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield for the state while Global Expertise in Outsourcing, Inc. (GEO Group) of Boca Raton, Fla.

In addition, LaSalle Management Co. of Ruston operates eight facilities in Louisiana.

LaSalle Management, the GEO Group, and Wackenhut each contributed $10,000 to Jindal’s campaigns in 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and CCA gave the governor’s campaign $5000 in 2008 and 2009.

Additionally, GEO Group contributed $1000 to Fannin in 2010 and 2011.