Rep. Gallot, Jr., Richard "Rick"

House Member

Rep. Gallot, Jr., Richard "Rick" (D)
District# 11, Ruston

Contact Information

District Office
Legislative Assistant : ShaRonda Hatter
Email Richard Gallot, Jr.
Phone: (318)251-5019
Fax: (318)251-5018
Address: P. O. Box 1117
Ruston, LA 71273
Map
Capitol House Switch Band: (225) 342-6945
Capitol House Fax: (225)342-8336

Profile

- District #: House District 1
- Party: Democrat
- Caucus Membership: Democratic Caucus, Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus, Louisiana Rural Caucus
- Occupation: Attorney
- Education: B.A., Grambling State University;
  J.D., Southern University Law School
- Spouse: Mary
- Year Elected: 2000
- Last Year Eligible(Term Limit): 2012
- 2007 Election
  In 2007, facing two Democrats, Edward Jones and Delores Wilkerson Smith, Gallot avoided a runoff by garnering sixty-six percent of the vote in the primary election. Gallot was reelected without opposition in 2003.

District Profile

Registered Voters by Parish: Bienville 10.4%, Claiborne 41.9%, Lincoln 47.6%
Municipalities/Communities Represented: Arcadia, Athens, Bernice, Gibsland,
Grambling, Haynesville, Homer, Junction City, Lisbon, Mount Lebanon, Ruston,
Simsboro
- Louisiana Map
- District Map
- Metro Map
Economic: All of Claiborne parish is included in this district, as well as the southwestern corner of Lincoln parish and the northwestern corner of Bienville parish. This district is very hilly and full of piney woods; therefore, many of the district’s residents make a living in the timber production and processing industry. Residents find other low-wage jobs in cattle-ranching, row-crop farming, oil and gas production and manufacturing. Poultry farming has significantly increased due to the Pilgrim’s Pride facility located just outside of this district’s borders.
Two of the district’s largest employers and stable economic forces are Grambling State University and Louisiana Tech University, which provide many government jobs. Wade Correctional Center in Claiborne parish also provides some residents with jobs.

Social: District 11 has a sixty-forty percent ratio of African Americans to white residents. Although the district is racially diverse, most of the residents are middle-class and blue-collar workers who live in small towns and rural areas. There are few professionals that reside in the district and have white-collar jobs.

Political: With almost sixty percent of the voters being African Americans, the number of registered Democrats outnumbers Republicans and others by a margin of almost three to one.

Biography

- Rick Gallot is entering his third and final term. In the 2004 to 2008 term, Gallot served as Vice Chairman of the House and Governmental Affairs committee, which gives him some legislative leadership experience.
- Serving on the Civil Law and Judiciary committees has well suited Gallot’s legal experience as a personal injury and criminal defense attorney. He has filed a good number of bills throughout his tenure, especially criminal and juvenile justice bills.
- Gallot unsuccessfully tried to lower the blood alcohol level for certain DWI offenses. He has also sponsored legislation to offer rehabilitation services for juveniles and include parishes in his district in a truancy program. Education has been one of Gallot’s main concerns.
- Gallot has supported all teacher pay raises and funding increases for public schools, colleges and universities and vocational and technical schools. Other issues that are of concern to Gallot include public safety, business and economic development, infrastructure and environment.
- Gallot devotes a lot of his time to developing the rural areas in his district by focusing on tourism. He also sponsors many events and initiatives for his district including an after school tutoring program, spelling bee and “How to do business with the State of Louisiana” seminar for small businesses. Donating smoke detectors to citizens and purchasing bullet-proof vests for police officers in his district, Gallot demonstrates his commitment to public safety.