Vincent Pierre

Pierre's place of birth is Lafayette, Louisiana, and both of his parents are from Lafayette. He is of Louisiana Creole ancestry. His uncle, former Louisiana State Representative Wilfred T. Pierre, held the District 44 seat prior to 2008, when he did not run again and was succeeded by another Democrat, Rickey Hardy.

Pierre graduated from the since defunct Historically Roman Catholic parochial school in 1983, then the Holy Rosary Institute in Lafayette. He graduated with a degree in marketing and sales from Southern University in the capital city of Baton Rouge in 1988.

Pierre is a second generation politician, and a second generation businessman in Lafayette. He is a Mason un Homme de Culture and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

Pierre has three sons: twins Joshua and Kyle, and a younger son, Luke.[3]

In 2011, Pierre unseated the one-term incumbent Rickey Hardy, who had led the balloting in the nonpartisan blanket primary. In the general election between the two Democrats, Pierre polled 3,286 votes (53.4 percent) to Hardy's 2,864 (46.6 percent).[4] In the nonpartisan blanket primary held the preceding month, Hardy had led, 42-40 percent, with a third Democrat, who was eliminated from the race, holding the remaining votes.[5]

Pierre is a member of the House Democratic Caucus, the Legislative Black Caucus, and the Acadiana delegation. He is a member of the House committees for Commerce, Insurance, and Labor and Industrial Relations.[3] In a news release, Pierre said that he is dedicated to solving problems, rather than partisanship: "It is critical that our district has a representative to fight for their interests at the state level, whether it is for a home rule petition, for a sewer system or fight for local aid."[6]

Pierre's ratings from the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry have ranged from 32 to 67 percent over the years he has been a legislator. In 2012, the National Federation of Independent Business scored him 17 percent. In 2013 and 2014, the conservative Louisiana Family Forum scored him 60 and 33 percent, respectively. Louisiana Right to Life in 2013 and 2014 rated him 100 and 80 percent, respectively. He was scored 100 percent by the Louisiana Association of Educators.[7]

Pierre voted in 2014 to require that abortion providers have hospital admitting privileges near their clinic; only five House members voted against the measure. He voted to extend the time for implementation of the Common Core State Standards Initiative. He voted against the requirement that companies must give public notice of proposed hydraulic fracking. He voted to halt the transportation of dogs in open truck beds on interstate highways. He voted for the repeal the anti-sodomy laws; the measure failed in the House, 27-67. He voted against the concealed carry of weapons in restaurants that serve alcoholic beverages.[8]

In 2013, he voted against permanent concealed-carry permits and favored making information on the permits a matter of the public record. He voted for judicial pay increases and for removing the mandatory retirement age of judges. Pierre voted to reduce the penalties for marijuana possession; the measure passed the House, 54-38.[8]

In 2012, Pierre co-sponsored parole eligibility for non-violent offenders. He voted against tax incentives to recruit a National Basketball Association team to Louisiana and opposed state income tax deductions to taxpayers donating to scholarship funds. He voted against the requirement that welfare recipients undergo periodic testing for use of narcotics. He opposed reducing the number of hours that polling stations remain open; Louisiana traditionally has had 14-hour election days. He voted to forbid telephone use while driving. Pierre opposed changes to the teacher tenure law.[8]