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'''John A. Alario Jr.''' (born September 15, 1943), is the currently-serving President of the [[Louisiana]] State Senate; his term of office ends in January 2020, and he is term-limited in his District 8 seat in the Senate representing Jefferson Parish in [[suburb]]an [[New Orleans]]. A legislator since 1972, when his mentor [[Edwin Edwards]] became the [[governor]], Alario was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972 to 2008. He was twice the Speaker of the House in the third and fourth non-consecutive terms of the Edwards administration. In 2007, term-limited in the House, was instead elected to the state Senate. Alario is only the second person in Louisiana and the fourth in [[United States]] history to have been elected as both Speaker of his state House and President of his state Senate.<ref>Mallory Horne of [[Florida]], John Hainkel, Jr., of Louisiana, and Libby Mitchell of [[Maine]] were the three persons who previously held both of the top state legislative offices.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ncsl.typepad.com/the_thicket/2011/10/legislators-who-have-served-as-speaker-and-top-senate-leader.html|title=Legislators who have served as Speaker and top Senate leader|publisher=Ncsi.typepad.com|accessdate=June 23, 2018}}</ref>

'''John A. Alario Jr.''' (born September 15, 1943), is the currently-serving President of the [[Louisiana]] State Senate; his term of office ends in January 2020, and he is term-limited in his District 8 seat in the Senate representing Jefferson Parish in [[suburb]]an [[New Orleans]]. A legislator since 1972, when his mentor [[Edwin Edwards]] became the [[governor]], Alario was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972 to 2008. He was twice the Speaker of the House in the third and fourth non-consecutive terms of the Edwards administration. In 2007, term-limited in the House, was instead elected to the state Senate. Alario is only the second person in Louisiana and the fourth in [[United States]] history to have been elected as both Speaker of his state House and President of his state Senate.<ref>Mallory Horne of [[Florida]], John Hainkel, Jr., of Louisiana, and Libby Mitchell of [[Maine]] were the three persons who previously held both of the top state legislative offices.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ncsl.typepad.com/the_thicket/2011/10/legislators-who-have-served-as-speaker-and-top-senate-leader.html|title=Legislators who have served as Speaker and top Senate leader|publisher=Ncsi.typepad.com|accessdate=June 23, 2018}}</ref>

A long-term [[Democratic Party|Democrat]], Alario switched parties solely to gain the endorsement of then Governor [[Bobby Jindal]], a [[Republican Party|Republican]]. He won the support of all but one of the senators, then freshman [[Barrow Peacock]] of [[Shreveport]]. In Louisiana, the governor until 2016 had traditionally tapped his own choice for both House Speaker and Senate President. Alario has been supportive of the current Democratic governor, [[John Bel Edwards]], who in 2018 obtained a [[sales tax]] renewal to close a potential budget deficit despite nominally Republican majorities in both legislative chambers. The Republican House Speaker, [[Taylor Barras]] of New Iberia, opposed much of the John Bel Edwards tax package until the end of the seventh special session, when he agreed to keeping .45 percent of the temporary one-cent state sales tax. The total Louisiana state sales tax is effectively 4.45 percent; this does not include local and parish sales taxes.  

A long-term [[Democratic Party|Democrat]], Alario switched parties solely to gain the endorsement for Senate President of then Governor [[Bobby Jindal]], a [[Republican Party|Republican]]. He won the support of all but one of the senators, then freshman [[Barrow Peacock]] of [[Shreveport]]. In Louisiana, the governor until 2016 had traditionally tapped his own choice for both House Speaker and Senate President. Alario subsequently supported the current Democratic governor, [[John Bel Edwards]], who in 2018 obtained a [[sales tax]] renewal to close a potential budget deficit despite nominally Republican majorities in both legislative chambers. The Republican House Speaker, [[Taylor Barras]] of New Iberia, term-limited in 2019, opposed much of the John Bel Edwards tax package until the end of the seventh special session, when he agreed to keeping .45 percent of the temporary one-cent state sales tax. The total Louisiana state sales tax is effectively 4.45 percent; this does not include local and parish sales taxes.  

An [[accountant]] who operates a tax service, Alario resides in Westwego in Jefferson Parish. He is a member of the [[Roman Catholic]] [[Knights of Columbus]] men's organization, the Louisiana Epilepsy Association, and the Louisiana International Deep Water Gulf Transfer Terminal Authority. He was a delegate at the 1972 [[Democratic National Convention]], which met in Miami Beach, [[Florida]], to nominate [[U.S. Senator]] [[George McGovern]] of [[South Dakota]], who was then roundly defeated by the Republican [[U.S. President]] [[Richard M. Nixon]]. In 1996 and 2000, Alario attended the Democratic conventions which nominated the [[Bill Clinton]]-[[Al Gore]] and Gore-[[Joseph Lieberman]] tickets. He is a recipient of the Hale Boggs Memorial Award, named for the late Democrat [[U.S. Representative]] for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district.<ref>"Louisiana: Alario, John", ''Who's Who in American Politics, 2007-2008'' (Marquis Who's Who: New Providence, [[New Jersey]], 2007), p. 648.</ref>

An [[accountant]] who operates a tax service, Alario resides in Westwego in Jefferson Parish. He is a member of the [[Roman Catholic]] [[Knights of Columbus]] men's organization, the Louisiana Epilepsy Association, and the Louisiana International Deep Water Gulf Transfer Terminal Authority. He was a delegate at the 1972 [[Democratic National Convention]], which met in Miami Beach, [[Florida]], to nominate [[U.S. Senator]] [[George McGovern]] of [[South Dakota]], who was then roundly defeated by the Republican [[U.S. President]] [[Richard M. Nixon]]. In 1996 and 2000, Alario attended the Democratic conventions which nominated the [[Bill Clinton]]-[[Al Gore]] and Gore-[[Joseph Lieberman]] tickets. He is a recipient of the Hale Boggs Memorial Award, named for the late Democrat [[U.S. Representative]] for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district.<ref>"Louisiana: Alario, John", ''Who's Who in American Politics, 2007-2008'' (Marquis Who's Who: New Providence, [[New Jersey]], 2007), p. 648.</ref>

In 2018, Alario used parliamentary maneuvers in the Senate to block passage of legislation by Representative [[Tanner Magee]] of Houma in Terrebonne Parish to permit [[Uber]] to operate in the state. ''The Baton Rouge Advocate'' reported that Alario's intransigence on the matter is related to his friendship with Democratic former state Senator Francis Heitmeier of New Orleans, who makes a living selling [[insurance]] to cab companies, which oppose the legislation. Magee said that his bill could easily have cleared the legislature except for "one really important person who's just not on board," a reference to Alario, whose name Magee specifically declined to use.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/article_dbaa0c36-a4a8-11e8-abc8-b70c5e234a0b.html|title=This Louisiana politician sank ride-sharing bill; his close pal sells insurance to cabs|author=Rebekah Allen|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|date=August 23, 2018|accessdate=August 23, 2018}}</ref>

In 2018, Alario used parliamentary maneuvers in the Senate to block passage of legislation by Representative [[Tanner Magee]] of Houma in Terrebonne Parish to permit [[Uber]] to operate in the state. ''The Baton Rouge Advocate'' reported that Alario's intransigence on the matter is related to his friendship with Democratic former state Senator Francis Heitmeier of New Orleans, who makes a living selling [[insurance]] to cab companies, which oppose the legislation. Magee said that his bill could easily have cleared the legislature except for "one really important person who's just not on board," a reference to Alario, whose name Magee specifically declined to use.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/article_dbaa0c36-a4a8-11e8-abc8-b70c5e234a0b.html|title=This Louisiana politician sank ride-sharing bill; his close pal sells insurance to cabs|author=Rebekah Allen|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|date=August 23, 2018|accessdate=August 23, 2018}}</ref>

[[Moon Griffon]]], the statewide [[radio]] talk show host based in [[Lafayette]], has long criticiized Alario and what Griffon sees as the Senate President's liberal policies. Senator Alario is term-limited in the nonpartisan blanket primarto be held on October 12, 2019.

[[Moon Griffon]]], the statewide [[radio]] talk show host based in [[Lafayette]], has long criticiized Alario and what Griffon sees as the Senate President's liberal policies. Senator Alario is term-limited in the nonpartisan blanket primary to be held on October 12, 2019. He is not seeking to return to the state House of Representatives, as did one of his allies, Democratic state Senator [[Francis C. Thompson]] of Delhi in Richland Parish.

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