Jay Morris

Morris formerly worked on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., for former U.S. Senator J. Bennett Johnston, Jr., a Democrat.[1] He was also a staff member at one time for the Louisiana Municipal Association.[2] He is a partner of the law firm, Dean Morris, LLP.[3]

Prior to residing in Monroe, Morris lived in St. Joseph in Tensas Parish, Rayville in Richland Parish, and New Orleans.[4]

Morris won the state representative position in the general election held on November 19, 2011, when he unseated fellow Republican Sam Little, a retired farmer, originally from Bastrop in Morehouse Parish. Morris polled 5,005 votes (59.1 percent) to Little's 3,463 ballots (40.9 percent).[5] In the campaign for the heavily redistricted seat, Little and Morris accused each other of engaging in negative campaigning. Morris is a graduate of Louisiana State University and the Louisiana State University Law Center, both in Baton Rouge.[1]

Morris led the three-candidate field in the primary held on October 22, with 5,078 votes (42.6 percent). Little trailed with 4,384 ballots (36.7 percent). A third Republican, Michael Echols, held the remaining but critical 2,471 votes (20.7 percent).[6] Echols ran without opposition in the 2019 primary to choose Morris' House successor. From 1991 to 2008, the District 14 seat was held by the Democrat Charles R. McDonald of Bastrop in Morehouse Parish.

On August 13, 2013, Morris announced that he would enter Louisiana's 5th congressional district special election, 2013 to choose a successor to Republican Rodney Alexander, who resigned from Congress effective September 30, 2013, to accept the position of secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs under Governor Bobby Jindal. Despite an aggressive campaign with radio spots on The Moon Griffon Show, Morris finished in sixth place with 7,083 votes (7 percent) and was eliminated from further contention. He led in no parishes and polled his strongest total, 2,932 votes, in his own Ouachita Parish, but even there he finished fourth.[7]

The runoff election was held on November 16, 2013, between two Republicans, State Senator Neil Riser of Columbia in Caldwell Parish, the front-runner backed by the party establishment, and a dark horse contender, Vance McAllister, a Monroe-area businessman originally from West Carroll Parish who carries the celebrity endorsement of Phil Robertson of the A&E Network reality show, Duck Dynasty, filmed in West Monroe. McAllister's positions are similar to those of Morris,[8] and the two candidates hence competed from the same pool of voters. McAllister scored a major upset when he defeated Riser by a margin of nearly 60 to 40 percent.

Morris's legislative ratings have ranged from 78 to 94 percent from the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. In 2012, he was rated 100 percent by the National Federation of Independent Business. In 2013 and 2014, he was rated 80 and 90 percent, respectively, by the conservative Louisiana Family Forum. In 2013 and 2014, Louisiana Right to Life scored him 100 percent. The Louisiana Association of Educators rated him 8 and 25 percent, respectively.[9]

In 2014, Morris 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 for the extension of time for implementation of the Common Core State Standards Initiative. He voted against the prohibition of 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. He voted against the repeal of the anti-sodomy laws. He supported the establishment of surrogacy contracts. He voted against reducing the penalties for the possession of marijuana, but the measure passed the House, 54-38. He voted for lifetime concealed carry gun permits and the establishment of concealed-carry privileges in restaurants that sell alcoholic beverages. He co-sponsored the prohibition against making information about gun permit holders a matter of public record. He voted in 2013 against an increase in judicial pay, which passed the House, 78-18. He supported the removal of the mandatory retirement age for judges, which was rejected 63-33.[10]

In 2012, Morris voted against the prohibition of the use of telephones while driving; the ban nevertheless passed the House, 68-29. He opposed tax incentives for attracting a National Basketball Association team to Louisiana, which passed the House, 60-41. He backed the establishment of state income tax deductions for individuals who contribute to scholarship funds, which was approved 66-37. He voted to reduce the number of hours that polling locations remain open; Louisiana has traditionally had 14-hour polling days. He supported drug testing of certain welfare recipients; the bill passed the House, 65 to 26. He supported changes in the teacher tenure law.[10]

Morris ran unopposed for reelection to a second term in the state House in the nonpartisan blanket primary election held on October 24, 2015.[11]

In May 2017, Morris opposed in the House Ways and Means Committee a plan by his Republican colleague, Rob Shadoin of Ruston which collectively would have raised taxes on businesses and lowered them for what Shadoin said would constitute 90 percent of individual taxpayers. When his measure was killed in committee, Shadoin said, "You can kiss tax reform goodbye." Four individual bills were combined into one on the advice of Shadoin's Democratic ally, Major Thibaut of New Roads.[12] Morris said that the opponents of Shadoin's bill managed to stop the legislation on the premise that the measure "would not help the state's fiscal situation and would in fact make it worse. At the same time it would have made the tax code much more progressive (making higher income earners pay more) and would have eliminated the deduction for federal income. The committee didn't see the benefit from a set of bills that made the state fiscal situation worse in the name of purported tax reform."[12]