BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Legislative Women's Caucus announced the officers who will lead the organization from July 1 to June 30, 2018.
Rep. Helena Moreno has been elected as chair of the Women's Caucus. She has served in the Louisiana Legislature since 2010 and currently sits on the House of Representatives' Health and Welfare Committee and the Commerce Committee.
Rep. Moreno has championed legislation, policies and initiatives, which promote the well-being of women and their families. She has authored legislation through the years, which has significantly impacted domestic violence, the opioid epidemic, corrections reform, early childhood education, healthcare and care for the elderly.
Other Women's Caucus Officers who will help lead the Women's Caucus are:
• Sen. Regina Ashford Barrow, Senate Vice Chair
Sen. Barrow has served in the Louisiana Legislature since 2005 and currently chairs the Senate Select Committee on Women and Children. She also serves as vice chair of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee.
• Rep. Barbara Carpenter, House Vice Chair
Rep. Carpenter has been a state representative since 2016. She currently serves on the House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee, Retirement Committee and the Transportation, Highways and Public Works Committee.
• Sen. Yvonne Colomb, Immediate Past Chair
Sen. Colomb serves as chair of the Senate Local and Municipal Affairs Committee and serves on the Senate Health & Welfare, Judiciary C, and the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committees. She also serves on the Senate Select Committee on Women and Children. She has been in the Louisiana Legislature since 1993.
• Rep. Katrina Jackson, Secretary
Rep. Jackson serves as chair of the House Judiciary Committee and serves on the House Health and Welfare Committee. She has been in the House of Representatives since 2012.
• Rep. Beryl Amedée, Treasurer
Rep. Amedée serves on the House Appropriations, Education, Labor and Industrial Relations and the Atchafalaya Basin Program Oversight Committees and the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget. She has been in the Louisiana House of Representatives since 2016.
• Rep. Paula Davis, Parliamentarian
Rep. Davis has served in the Louisiana Legislature since December 2015. She currently serves on the House Insurance, Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs and Ways and Means Committees. She also serves on the Joint Legislative Committee on Capital Outlay.
• Rep. Patricia Haynes Smith, Member at Large
Rep. Smith serves on the House Appropriations, Education and Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs Committees and the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget. She has been in the Louisiana Legislature since 2008.
The Women's Caucus is comprised of the women legislators who are currently serving in the Louisiana Legislature. Their mission is to prepare the next generation of women leaders and serve as the premiere voice and leading monitor of issues, legislation and policies which impact women.
There are presently 22 women who serve in both the Louisiana Senate and the Louisiana House of Representatives.
Initiatives of the Women's Caucus include:
• Combating violence against women and children in Louisiana, including domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assaults and sexual assaults on college campuses;
• Recognizing women and girls for their outstanding achievements and awarding $73,000 in scholarships to deserving young women and girls in Louisiana since 2010 through the Women of Excellence Awards and Scholarships Ceremony and Reception;
• Establishing Public Service Announcements in partnership with Cox Communications to address issues relating to women; and
• Establishing the initiative "Ready to Run Louisiana" in partnership with the Center for American Women in Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University and in collaboration with Tulane University. Ready to Run™ is a non-partisan campaign training program created by CAWP to encourage women to run for elective office, position them for appointive office, work on a campaign or get involved in public life in other ways. The next Ready to Run Louisiana, campaign training event, will be held August 15-16.
