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Regular Session, 2011 ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 95
BY SENATORS BROOME, ADLEY, ALARIO, AMEDEE, APPEL, CHABERT, CHEEK,
CLAITOR, CROWE, DONAHUE, DORSEY, ERDEY, GAUTREAUX,
GUILLORY, HEITMEIER, JACKSON, KOSTELKA, LAFLEUR,
LONG, MARIONNEAUX, MARTINY, MCPHERSON, MICHOT,
MILLS, MORRELL, MORRISH, MOUNT, MURRAY, NEVERS,
PERRY, PETERSON, QUINN, RISER, SHAW, SMITH, THOMPSON,
WALSWORTH AND WILLARD-LEWIS
A RESOLUTION
To commend the Honorable Joel T. Chaisson II, Senate President, for two decades of
dedicated legislative service to constituents from the parishes of St. Charles,
Lafourche, and St. John the Baptist and the state of Louisiana.
WHEREAS, it is with an expression of enduring gratitude that Senate President
Joel Chaisson is commended for his stellar contributions to the people of this state, in
particular, his tenure as a distinguished member of the Louisiana State Senate representing
District 19 and previously, election to the Louisiana House of Representatives representing
District 56, for a total of five consecutive terms as a legislator and to offer to him the best
wishes of his fellow senators as he considers his future ventures; and
WHEREAS, politics have been life, breath, and leisure for Joel Thomas Chaisson II
and perhaps he was destined for a life of public service as the son of former state
representative and retired district judge, Joel T. Chaisson, and his mother, Bobbie; and
WHEREAS, born in Fort Knox, Kentucky, and reared in Destrehan, Louisiana, he
graduated from the University of New Orleans in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science degree
in business administration, then went on to receive a Juris Doctorate degree from Louisiana
State University Law Center in 1983; and
WHEREAS, his political career began later that same year when he won his first
election at the age of twenty-three, for an at-large seat on the St. Charles Parish Council; a
feat that ranked him as the youngest parish-wide elected official in the state at that time; and
WHEREAS, since 1991, with his election to the House of Representatives, he has
represented the gracious citizens from the parishes of St. Charles, Lafourche, and St. John
the Baptist, and since that time those constituents have benefitted from his diligent efforts
to strike a balance between industrial development and agricultural and environmental issues
that affect their daily lives; and SR NO. 95 ENROLLED
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WHEREAS, during his days in the House of Representatives, his committee
assignments included civil law and procedure, insurance, labor and industrial relations,
judiciary, ways and means as vice chairman, and the Joint Legislative Committee on Capital
Outlay; as a senator he has served as chairman of Judiciary C, vice-chairman of
Transportation, Highways, and Public Works, and as a member of health and welfare and
education; and
WHEREAS, elected to the Senate in 1999, he ascended to the position of Senate
President in 2008, with an affirmative nod from his fellow senators based upon his
reputation as a consensus builder with the political acumen for achieving successful
solutions to complex, sometimes thorny, situations by implementing his well-honed skills
of compromise and bi-partisanship; and
WHEREAS, during his twelve years in the Senate, he has been the moving force in
election reform, in strengthening criminal penalties, in particular, certain DWI offenses, in
addressing liability and medical malpractice, and in setting right criminal injustice with
compensation for those wrongfully convicted; and
WHEREAS, while in the legislature he has also been a consistent supporter of
teachers' pay and funding for education; and
WHEREAS, as a strong proponent of flood control and hurricane protection, he has
championed landmark legislation to address coastal initiatives and wetland restoration
projects that will affect generations of Louisianians who make their livelihood along the
coast of our state; and
WHEREAS, Senator Chaisson has championed the economic importance of the
fragile Louisiana coastline that is home to two million citizens, the source or transit point
for domestic oil and gas production, a static seafood industry, and a port system with the
potential to become the next great international marketplace; and
WHEREAS, he has been honored with many well-deserved accolades too numerous
to count and retains his civic and philanthropic affiliations with the Lions Clubs of America
and the Order of Knights of Columbus; and
WHEREAS, he is the loving husband of Sandra Stage Chaisson and the proud father
of daughter, Martine Marie; and SR NO. 95 ENROLLED
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WHEREAS, Senator Joel Chaisson has earned the respect of his peers and the
appreciation of the citizens of this state, in particular, the people of South Louisiana, who
have been enriched immeasurably by his good works.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend Joel T. Chaisson II, Senate President, for his years of unselfish public
service to the people of Senate District 19 and this state.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana State Senate does hereby express
its enduring gratitude to Senator Joel Chaisson for his superlative service to the citizens of
Louisiana, as evidenced by his many achievements as a member of both this distinguished
body and the House of Representatives, and hereby extends to him the best wishes of his
friends and colleagues for continued prosperity and success in his future endeavors.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Joel T. Chaisson II, President of the Senate.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE