| | In the state House, Alario was the chairman of the Appropriations, House Executive, and Ways and Means committees. He also served as chairman to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget and the Joint Legislative Committee on Capital Outlay. He was a member of the House Commerce, House and Governmental Affairs, Legislative Budgetary Control, Municipal, Parochial, and Cultural Affairs, Natural Resources, Judiciary B, and Judicial committees.<ref name=votesmart/><ref name=senate/> | | In the state House, Alario was the chairman of the Appropriations, House Executive, and Ways and Means committees. He also served as chairman to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget and the Joint Legislative Committee on Capital Outlay. He was a member of the House Commerce, House and Governmental Affairs, Legislative Budgetary Control, Municipal, Parochial, and Cultural Affairs, Natural Resources, Judiciary B, and Judicial committees.<ref name=votesmart/><ref name=senate/> |
| − | He was selected by [[Governor]] [[Edwin Edwards]] as House Speaker twice, from 1984 to 1988 and from 1992 to 1996.<ref name=votesmart /> As the House Speaker, Alario was described by a colleague, [[Ron Gomez]] of [[Lafayette]], as "a master of adding just the right degree of levity to defuse almost any potentially explosive situation."<ref>[[Ron Gomez]], ''My Name Is Ron And I'm a Recovering Legislator: Memoirs of a Louisiana State Representative'', [[Lafayette]], [[Louisiana]]: Zemog Publishing, 2000, ISBN 0-9700156-0-7, pp. 59-70.</ref> In 1986, Alario removed Representative Kevin P. Reilly, Sr., of [[Baton Rouge]] from the chairmanship of the House Appropriations Committee after thirteen years of service when Reilly, an unsuccessful candidate for state treasurer the following year, criticized Governor Edwards.<ref>Gomez, p. 162.</ref> | + | He was selected by [[Governor]] [[Edwin Edwards]] as House Speaker twice, from 1984 to 1988 and from 1992 to 1996.<ref name=votesmart /> As the House Speaker, Alario was described by a colleague, [[Ron Gomez]] of [[Lafayette]], as "a master of adding just the right degree of levity to defuse almost any potentially explosive situation."<ref>[[Ron Gomez]], ''My Name Is Ron And I'm a Recovering Legislator: Memoirs of a Louisiana State Representative'', [[Lafayette]], [[Louisiana]]: Zemog Publishing, 2000, ISBN 0-9700156-0-7, pp. 59-70.</ref> In 1986, Alario removed Representative [[Kevin Reilly|Kevin P. Reilly, Sr.]], of [[Baton Rouge]] from the chairmanship of the House Appropriations Committee after thirteen years of service when Reilly, an unsuccessful candidate for state treasurer the following year, criticized Governor Edwards.<ref>Gomez, p. 162.</ref> |
| − | With the election of [[Buddy Roemer]] as governor, Alario was replaced as Speaker by [[Jimmy Dimos]] of [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]]. Ron Gomez explained that Alario and Senate President Sammy Nunez of Chalmette in St. Bernard Parish nevertheless attempted to maintain their leadership posts. He explained: "Alario immediately had the backing of [[organized labor]], the black caucus, many member from the New Orleans and Jefferson Parish delegations and a healthy number of other House members whom he had helped and to whom he had ingratiated himself over the years."<ref>Ron Gomez, p. 188.</ref> | + | With the election of [[Buddy Roemer]] as governor, Alario was replaced as Speaker by [[Jimmy Dimos]] of [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]]. Ron Gomez explained that Alario and Senate President [[Sammy Nunez]] of Chalmette in St. Bernard Parish nevertheless attempted to maintain their leadership posts. He explained: "Alario immediately had the backing of [[organized labor]], the black caucus, many member from the New Orleans and Jefferson Parish delegations and a healthy number of other House members whom he had helped and to whom he had ingratiated himself over the years."<ref>Ron Gomez, p. 188.</ref> |
| | Overall, Alario served nine terms in the House of Representatives before being term limited from the body in the 2007 elections.<ref name=votesmart/> | | Overall, Alario served nine terms in the House of Representatives before being term limited from the body in the 2007 elections.<ref name=votesmart/> |