BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A northwest Louisiana lawmaker who was a vocal critic of Gov. Bobby Jindal's budget proposals has been removed from his leadership position in the Legislature.
Republican Rep. Jim Morris said Thursday he has been stripped of his position as vice chairman of the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee. House Speaker Chuck Kleckley confirmed the change, but wouldn't say why Morris was ousted.
Morris says he was told he hadn't shown interest in the job or attended chairmen's meetings with Kleckely, assertions Morris says are untrue. He says he likely was removed because of votes he cast during session.
A Jindal spokesman says the governor's office was not involved in removing Morris from his leadership job in the House.
Morris was among a group of conservative House Republicans who unsuccessfully fought Jindal's plans to use piecemeal funding to balance next year's budget. He also opposed Jindal's centerpiece education bills.
