2020 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 53
BY SENATORS ALLAIN, ABRAHAM, BARROW, BERNARD, BOUDREAUX, BOUIE,
CARTER, CATHEY, CLOUD, CONNICK, CORTEZ, FESI, FIELDS,
FOIL, HARRIS, HENRY, HENSGENS, HEWITT, JACKSON, JOHNS,
LAMBERT, LUNEAU, MCMATH, MILLIGAN, FRED MILLS,
ROBERT MILLS, MIZELL, MORRIS, PEACOCK, PETERSON, POPE,
PRICE, REESE, SMITH, TALBOT, TARVER, WARD, WHITE AND
WOMACK
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To express the sincere condolences of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the death of the
Honorable Dudley Anthony "Butch" Gautreaux Jr., renowned public servant,
beloved gentleman, and a former member of both the Louisiana House of
Representatives and the Louisiana Senate, and to celebrate his service and devotion
to the law and the welfare of the people of the state of Louisiana.
WHEREAS, it was with deep remorse and a profound sense of sorrow that the
Legislature of Louisiana learned of the sudden and unexpected passing of D.A. "Butch"
Gautreaux Jr. on February 22, 2020, at the age of seventy-two; and
WHEREAS, Dudley Anthony "Butch" Gautreaux Jr. was born on December 12,
1947, the only son of six children born to parents, Dudley A. Gautreaux Sr. and Cora W.
Gautreaux of Morgan City, Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, Butch Gautreaux was a native and long-term resident of Morgan City
before retiring in Thibodaux, Louisiana, in 2017; and
WHEREAS, he was a 1966 Central Catholic High School graduate and then attended
Nicholls State University, and he remained a loyal supporter throughout his life; and
WHEREAS, he was a veteran who proudly served his state and his country in the
United States Navy from 1968 to 1972 as a 2nd Class Petty Officer; and
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WHEREAS, "Butch" Gautreaux and his partner and friend, Kenny Zimmer,
co-owned ZIMGO Company, a retail, appliance, automotive, and furniture multi-location
establishment, where he was a small business owner for thirty years in Morgan City; and
WHEREAS, he was a problem solver and negotiator without par; his intelligence and
depth of compassion made him an invaluable asset or a formidable opponent; and
WHEREAS, he was first elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 1996
and served one term until 2000, representing House District 51; and
WHEREAS, in the 2000 election cycle, "Butch" Gautreaux Jr. was elected to the
Louisiana Senate and served from 2000 until 2012, representing the constituency of Senate
District 21 until he term limited out; and
WHEREAS, serving as a legislator for sixteen years, he was a strong voice in Baton
Rouge for the less fortunate, both in his constituency and statewide, and he led the efforts
for saving Louisiana's wetlands, was an avid supporter of the local fishing industry, and was
passionate about the fiscal management of the state, especially its retirement systems; and
WHEREAS, he was very active in local, professional, and civic organizations
including St. Mary Arc; AARP; Morgan City Rotary, Past Treasurer and Paul Harris Fellow;
Morgan City Civitan Club, Past Vice President; and the Louisiana Retailers' Association,
Board Member; and
WHEREAS, after Hurricane Katrina, Senator Gautreaux took on insurance
companies so that those who lost their homes could be compensated fairly and could rebuild,
he also cared very deeply for teachers and state employees, and always demanded they be
treated with respect; and
WHEREAS, he was known and respected as a tireless worker for the citizens of the
state he loved so dearly; a true statesman, he didn't seek personal glory he merely knew no
other pathway than the one that made him a pragmatic advocate for the least among us; and
WHEREAS, he was honored by the Senate Democratic Caucus, and selected Whip
for his final legislative term; and
WHEREAS, Senator "Butch" Gautreaux was proud of the accomplishments that
punctuated his service in the Louisiana State Legislature, serving as the chair of the Senate
Committee on Retirement; as vice-chair of the Senate Natural Resources Committee; as a
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member of the Senate committees on Health and Welfare and Transportation, Highways, and
Public Works; as a member of the Senate select committees on Coastal Restoration and
Flood Control, Consumer Affairs and Technology, Homeland Security, and the oversight of
the Gulf Coast Claims Facility; as the Senate President's designee to the Public Retirement
Systems' Actuarial Committee; and as an interim member of the Senate Committee on
Revenue and Fiscal Affairs and the Joint Legislative Committee on Capital Outlay; and
WHEREAS, "Butch" Gautreaux Jr. was a staunch advocate for state employee and
teacher retiree healthcare and retirement benefits, serving as a Senate appointee on the Office
of Group Benefits Policy and Planning Board, protecting state-funded employee/teacher and
retiree health and life insurance benefits, and leading the fight against defined contribution
and other retirement plans in 2010 and 2011, thereby preserving state employee, teacher,
school employee, and State Police defined benefit retirement plans, which still remain in
effect until this day; and
WHEREAS, as the Senate Retirement Committee chairman, he also led the fight to
enhance and protect retiree cost of living allowances (COLAs), thereby preserving the only
mechanism, known as the Experience Account, needed to fund retiree permanent benefit
increases or COLAs, and upon his retirement from the Louisiana Senate in 2012, Senator
"Butch" Gautreaux was named a Board Member Emeritus of the Retired State Employees
Association of Louisiana, in recognition of his body of work on behalf of state employees
and retirees during his legislative tenure, serving with dignity in that capacity for
approximately eight years until his passing in 2020; and
WHEREAS, he received numerous awards and accolades throughout his career,
including but not limited to the 1997 Outstanding Rural Award, the 1998 Friend of the
Parishes Award, the 2001 Louisiana Wildlife Federation Legislator of the Year Award, the
2004 Leonard J. Chabert Leadership Award, the 2006 Tobacco Free Living Legislative
Champion Award, and the 2009 State Troopers' Association Legislator of the Year Award;
and
WHEREAS, D.A. "Butch" Gautreaux Jr. touched so many lives in ways that will
never be fully known except by the recipients of his kindness; he was always fair and loyal,
and always tried to do what was right, even if it was not the popular thing to do; and
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WHEREAS, he was a loving husband to his wife of fifty-one years, Marilyn (Mire)
Gautreaux, a devoted father to his children, Michael and Rhonda Gautreaux and Lee and
Stephanie Gautreaux; a cherished grandfather to his seven grandchildren, Alana Andras
(Justin), Andrew "Buck", Andrew "Drew", Adrien, Abigail, and Katelyn; a treasured brother
to his five sisters, JoAnne Hebert (Russell), Penny Russo, Gail Fazzio (Tony), Cora Phillips
(Keith), Mary Gautreaux; and beloved uncle and relative to numerous nieces and nephews
whose love of family was of utmost importance in his life; and
WHEREAS, in death, D.A. "Butch" Gautreaux Jr. leaves a tremendous void in his
community and state, however, he also leaves a rich and unique legacy in the annals of
Louisiana's political history, and he shall remain as a fond remembrance in the hearts of all
who knew him; and
WHEREAS, D.A. "Butch" Gautreaux was a true and passionate statesman and the
definition of a southern gentleman and the likes of him may not pass this way again.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
express its sincere condolences upon the death of former legislator, the Honorable D.A.
"Butch" Gautreaux Jr. and does hereby acknowledge the unique role he played in the
development of the institutions of the state legislature that he loved and the extraordinary
examples of leadership and humanity that he set throughout his life.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that his was a life well spent in public service and
in service to his community, his state, his country, and his God.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to his
wife, Marilyn Gautreaux.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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