Brett Geymann

Brett Frank Geymann (born December 8, 1961) is a businessman from Lake Charles, Louisiana, who is a Republican former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 35 in Calcasieu and Beauregard parishes.

He is a candidate for Louisiana's 3rd congressional district seat in the primary election scheduled for November 8, 2016; the position is held by Republican Charles Boustany, who is instead running for the United States Senate for the seat vacated by David Vitter. His principal opponents include Scott Angelle, a member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission from Breaux Bridge and Clay Higgins, a Crime Stoppers reporter known for his harsh attacks on the criminal element.

Background

Geymann is a native of Lake Charles who later moved to Beauregard Parish. He graduated from South Beauregard High School.^[1] Geymann holds a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from McNeese State University in Lake Charles. He is a small business owner.^[2]

Political life

In 2003, Geymann was elected to the state House to succeed the retiring Republican-turned-Independent Vic Stelly, author of the Stelly Plan, a since overturned sales tax/state income tax transfer arrangement. Geymann initially won the House seat with nearly 54 percent of the vote over two Democratic challengers.^[3]

Geymann was reelected to his second full term in 2007.^[4] He sat on the House Appropriations and Budget committees as well as the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget.^[5] He also served on the Commission on Streamlining Government, headed by his Louisiana State Senate colleague Jack Donahue and including Geymann's frequent legislative ally, Jim Morris of north Caddo Parish.^[6]

Legislative record

In 2008, Geymann introduced House Resolution No. 7 to request that the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries study the issue of escaped crawfish.^[7] The accumulation of excess water often forces crawfish from the ponds in which they are being cultivated into neighboring ditches and other waterways. Geymann compared the problem to meandering livestock in drier areas. The resolution called upon the department to report to the legislature on the extent of the problem and to propose any necessary laws.^[7]

In the spring of 2011, Geymann introduced House Resolution 27, a measure intended to halt the state from using one-time money, such as cash from the sale of prisons, to underwrite ongoing government operations. The practice is common in state government though long opposed by most conservatives. The change, known as the Geymann Rule, will require a two-thirds vote to pass state budget bills.^[8]

Geymann was rated in 2010, 2013, and 2014 as 100 percent favorable by the conservative Louisiana Family Forum; the organization scored him 88 percent in 2011. Louisiana Right to Life rated him 100 percent for each year that he has been a legislator. The Louisiana Association of Educators rated him 75 and 83 percent favorable in 2013 and 2014, respectively. He was ranked 61 percent cumulatively in 2012 and 2013 by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. In 2012, the National Federation of Independent Business scored him 83 percent.^[9]

In 2014, Geymann 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 did not vote on the matter of extending 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; the measure passed the House, 53-34. He voted against the requirement that companies must give notice when they engage in hydraulic fracking; the measure failed, 19-73. He voted against the repeal of the anti-sodomy laws; the repeal failed, 22-67. He did not vote on the issue of authorizing surrogacy contracts. He did not vote as well on the matter of reducing the penalties for the possession of marijuana, which passed the House, 54-38. He did not vote on establishing lifetime concealed carry gun permits but supported concealed-carry privileges in restaurants that sell alcoholic beverages. He voted against making information about permit holders a matter of public record. In 2010, he voted to permit handguns for protection in churches. He voted in 2013 against an increase in judicial pay and opposed the removal of the mandatory retirement age for judges.^[10]

In 2012, Geymann voted to ban the use of telephones while driving; the measure passed the House, 68-29. He voted against providing tax incentives for attracting a National Basketball Association team to Louisiana but supported state income tax deductions 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 voted for the requirement for drug testing of certain welfare recipients, which passed the House, 65 to 26. He opposed changes in the teacher tenure law. In 2011, Geymann voted against a permanent tax on cigarettes and supported the establishment of a commission to consider ways to remove the state income tax. He vote against the anti-bullying measure which proponents claimed would address the problem of harassment by pupils against each other in public schools; the measure failed 43-54. He did not vote on providing parole eligibility to elderly inmates.^[10]

Geymann was term-limited and ineligible to have sought another term in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on for October 24, 2015. He was succeeded by the unopposed Republican candidate, Stephen Dwight. ^[11]

References