Women legislators invited to ‘bring your makeup bag’ to lobbying event. ‘It’s so retro,’ says one | Legislature

Women legislators – like their male counterparts – spent the primary week of this 12 months’s legislative session introducing payments, getting reacquainted with their colleagues and voting on laws throughout committee hearings.Members of the Senate Select Committee on Women and Children have been looking for solutions from LSU officers on how they dealt with, or mishandled, circumstances of sexual harassment and violence involving soccer gamers and feminine college students.On Tuesday, the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, essentially the most highly effective enterprise foyer, needs to present its appreciation.Beginning at 7 a.m., LABI has invited members of the Louisiana Women’s Caucus – in addition to feminine lobbyists – to “a morning of multitasking and feminine fellowship over breakfast and sweetness.” The invitation dubs it “Morning Hour,” reflecting an inside-the-Capitol time period for when sure payments are heard.LABI is providing espresso, a smoothie bar “with contemporary fruit and veggies” and a bagel bar with “cream cheese, avocado, lox and extra.”

LABI invitation

The invitation additionally says LABI will present “two hair stylists to accommodate the spectrum of magnificence on the Capitol and makeup stations. So BYOMB (carry your personal makeup bag) and let’s placed on our sport faces collectively.”It all takes place at LABI’s downtown Baton Rouge workplace and guarantees to end up by 8:30 a.m. so the feminine legislators can start their work on the State Capitol. Of Louisiana’s 143 legislators, solely 26, or lower than 20%, are girls. It’s one of the bottom percentages of any state within the nation.

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State Rep. Mandie Landry, D-New Orleans, gained’t be attending the LABI occasion.“I respect the trouble to get to know our colleagues,” Landry mentioned. “But I don’t suppose an occasion like that is applicable for legislators. It’s so retro – girls getting collectively to placed on makeup and do their hair. There are solely 18% of us. It’s arduous sufficient to be taken significantly within the Capitol when there are so few of us.”The invitation was offered to The Advocate by a male legislator who thought it out of contact with the gravity of the hearings involving sexual abuses at LSU.“It’s like one thing the Ladies Auxiliary Club would ship out 15-20 years in the past,” he mentioned, talking on situation of anonymity.Marie Centanni, director of public affairs for LABI, would not see it that method.”There aren’t many alternatives for ladies legislators to collect and expertise camaraderie,” mentioned Centanni. “We’d like to facilitate that if we are able to.”She added that LABI is planning to maintain morning occasions for ladies legislators each different week.