Prodded by constituents angry over their insurance commissioner's taxpayer-financed purchase of a luxury truck, the Louisiana Senate has passed a measure to restrict such spending.
The unanimous passage of a Senate amendment regulating the purchase of vehicles by state employees followed news of an expensive vehicle acquisition by Commissioner Robert Wooley, who wound up apologizing and returning his fancy new set of wheels.
The bill, SB 44, was introduced by Sen. Art Lentini, R-Kenner, who heads the Senate Finance Committee. The bill was received in the House of Representatives earlier this month and assigned to the House Appropriations Committee.
Janice Batchelor, secretary for the House Appropriations Committee, said the committee will meet next week but will be reviewing only budget bills at that time. Senate Bill 44 could be scheduled in the next few weeks, she noted.
If the bill passes the House, it will become law, said Joann Loebig, assistant to Sen. Lentini, adding that passage in the Senate was 23 for and none against, with one senator absent.
“I suppose [Sen. Lentini] felt compelled to do this because the people of the state did not want this,” Ms. Loebig said. “We've gotten calls from people who didn't think it was right for state money to be used for such a vehicle.”
Constituents were not aware that “some state employees could buy a luxury vehicle at the cost of the state,” she said.
She added that after an article appeared in a local newspaper revealing that Mr. Wooley had purchased a $40,000, special edition Harley-Davidson truck to replace a year-old sport utility vehicle, constituents began calling in to complain.
Mr. Wooley issued a statement, saying he had returned the truck as well as a Ford Expedition he had purchased previously. “Both the truck and the Expedition have been returned to the Division of Administration,” the statement read.
“To the citizens of Louisiana…I offer you my heartfelt apology. I am sorry for the truck and how I have handled this entire matter. I have made a mistake,” he said.
Mr. Wooley said that his “biggest regret is that this has taken attention away from all of the good things the employees of the department of insurance have done during my tenure.”
With the return of the vehicles, the letter read, “I hope now we can focus on the true mission of this department, which is to find affordable and available insurance for our citizens, which is what I intend to do.”
If passed, the law would require statewide elected officials, except for the governor and lieutenant governor, to submit requests for luxury or full-size vehicles for personal use to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget for approval, according to a summary of the bill.
The law currently “provides for policies regulating the management and use of fleet vehicles, the purchase of such vehicles and exceptions to these provisions,” according to the summary.
Quotebox (no mug?)
“To the citizens of Louisiana…I offer you my heartfelt apology. I am sorry for the truck and how I have handled this entire matter. I have made a mistake.”
La. Insurance Commissioner
Robert Wooley
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