Bill allowing DA to hire daughter advances

• Published: May 14, 2009

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A Senate panel approved legislation Wednesday that would clear the way for the Orleans Parish district attorney to hire his daughter — an arrangement that violates state nepotism laws.

Senate President Joel Chaisson II, D-Destrehan, sponsored the legislation that would create an exception to state ethics laws for Orleans District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro Jr. “I have a unique situation that’s arisen in the city of New Orleans I’m trying to address,” Chaisson told the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Cannizzaro wants to retain his daughter, Laura, as one of his assistant district attorneys. The Louisiana Board of Ethics said the arrangement would violate nepotism laws.

Current law allows the continued employment of public employees where a member of their family becomes their boss if they had been employed for at least a year prior to the relative becoming their boss.

Cannizzaro’s daughter had been an employee of the Orleans District Attorney’s Office for 10 months prior to her father taking office.

Chaisson said the problem resulted because of the special circumstance of Cannizzaro’s election and his taking office prior to the beginning of the normal district attorney’s term.

If Cannizzaro had taken office at the regular time, Chaisson said, his daughter would have met the one year requirement.

“The Ethics Board said she had to leave the District Attorney’s Office, she could volunteer as an attorney but could not be paid,” said Chaisson. “It said the only way it could take place is if we changed the law.”

Cannizzaro said he would ask the Legislature to change the law. Chaisson filed Senate Bill 280.
“It’s a very limited, narrow exception to allow this young lady to be a prosecutor for her father,” Chaisson said.

The proposed law would apply retroactively to fix Cannizzaro’s situation.

SB280 would allow an elected official of a constitutionally created district office whose jurisdiction encompasses at least one parish to skirt nepotism laws when eligibility for the office requires admission to a professional practice.

Under the bill, the family member hired would have to have been employed in the office for at least nine months prior to, and within six months of, the elected official taking office.

The legislation would also allow Cannizzaro to participate in transactions regarding his daughter’s employment including pay decisions; and allow his daughter “normal promotional advancements.”