Clay Schexnayder

Clay John Schexnayder (born February 1969) is a businessman from Ascension Parish, Louisiana, who is a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives.^[1] His House District 8, opened to competition when the Republican incumbent John LaBruzzo of Jefferson Parish was shifted through redistricting into District 94. In the general election held on November 19, 2011, Schexnayder defeated the Democrat Kevin Hull, 5,549 (64 percent) to 3,116 (36 percent).^[2]LaBruzzo, meanwhile, was defeated in his district.

Schexnayder is the son of Perry P. Schexnayder and the former Dorothy Ann Demars (1937-2009).^[3]In 1989, Schexnayder graduated from French Settlement High School. Two years later, he graduated from the Allen Institute in Atlanta, Georgia, where he studied basic automotive mechanics. A former race car driver, he participated in competition in the circuit encompassing Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas circuit. He was formerly employed by the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. Since 1998, he has operated Car Craft Automotive in Sorrento in Ascension Parish. He is a former part-time sheriff's deputy in Ascension Parish. Schexnayder and his wife, the former Phoebe Keller, have four children.^[1]

In his legislative campaign, Schexnayder promised to seek more jobs to the state and to strengthen infrastructure and education.^[1] Schexnayder ran with the backing of Governor Bobby Jindal and the outgoing Republican Representative Mert Smiley in District 89, who was instead elected as the Ascension Parish assessor.^[1]The TEA Party movement termed Schexnayder a "tax and spend Republican" and refused to support him."^[4]

Opposition to Marriage and Conscience Act

On May 19, 2015, Schexnayder was one of four Republicans on the House Civil Law and Procedure Committee -- the others were Nancy Landry of Lafayette, Gregory A. Miller of Norco, and Mike "Pete" Huval of Breaux Bridge -- who voted to table on a 10-2 vote the proposed Marriage and Conscience Act, authored by Republican Representative Mike Johnson of Bossier Parish and strongly supported by the conservative Louisiana Family Forum. Only fellow Republican Ray Garofalo of Chalmette stood with Johnson. Governor Bobby Jindal, who supported the legislation, then issued an executive order to implement the measure. Johnson said that he will in 2016, if he is reelected, re-introduce the measure because he prefers a statutory law to address the issue. Johnson explained that the measure is designed to block the state government from pulling licenses or tax benefits from a company because of the owner's counter view of same-sex marriage. Among Democrats who opposed the measure were committee chairman Neil Abramson and Joseph Bouie, Jr., both of New Orleans, Patrick O. Jefferson of Arcadia, and Alfred C. Williams of Baton Rouge.^[5]

Schexnayder handily won a second term in the House in the primary election held on October 24, 2015. He defeated fellow Republican Lester McLin, 7,290 votes (64.5 percent) to 4,016 (35.5 percent).^[6]

In March 2016, Schexnayder 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 new Governor John Bel Edwards.^[7] A House and Senate conference committee subsequently trimmed the duration of the tax increase 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.^[8]

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