James Harris (Louisiana politician)
| James Charles "Jimmy" Harris, III | |
Louisiana State Representative
| |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 11, 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Wesley T. Bishop |
|---|---|
| Born | June 1974 New Orleans, Louisiana, USA |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Residence | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Alma mater | St. Augustine High School Morehouse College |
| Occupation | Lawyer Government agency employee |
James Charles Harris, III, known as Jimmy Harris (born June 1974),[1] is an African-American Democrat member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 99 in his native New Orleans, Louisiana. First elected on November 21, 2015, he assumed his seat on January 11, 2016. House District 99 encompasses portions of Gentilly, Bywater, Faubourg Marigny, the Ninth Ward, and eastern New Orleans. Harris succeeded Representative Wesley T. Bishop, who ran instead successfully for the Louisiana State Senate.[2]
Harris graduated from St. Augustine High School, a Roman Catholic parochial high school in New Orleans and received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from historically black Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, and earned his Juris Doctorate from the historically black Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge. Having worked in three levels of government, he is the director of special projects for U.S. Representative Cedric Richmond of Louisiana's 2nd congressional district, another African-American Democrat. Formerly, he was the director of state relations for the City of New Orleans and earlier was the legislative advisor to Richmond when the congressman was the state representative for District 101.[2]
In March 2016, Harris joined a House bipartisan majority to enact a one-cent increase in the state sales tax. State representatives voted 76 to 28 for the tax hike, a part of the revenue-raising measures pushed by Governor John Bel Edwards. [3] A House and Senate conference committee subsequently trimmed the duration of the tax from five years to twenty-seven months, effective from April 1, 2016 to June 30, 2018. Even the sale of Bibles and religious publications and Girl Scout cookies are now subject to the tax.[4]
References
- ↑ [ https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/Home/Home?uid=1366516 James Harris, June 1974]. Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved on April 6, 2016.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 James "Jimmy" Harris, III, Announces Candidacy For Louisiana House of Representatives, District 99. myemail.constantcontact.com (August 12, 2015). Retrieved on April 6, 2016.
- ↑ State House of Representatives Vote to Increase Sales Tax. KEEL (February 25, 2016). Retrieved on March 28, 2016.
- ↑ See the list: Examples of goods, services that'll now be taxed in Louisiana. The Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved on April 1, 2016.
