Southwest Louisiana has nine members of the Louisiana House of Representatives, and seven of them will represent parts of Calcasieu Parish under a reapportionment plan expected to be approved by the Legislature.

Speaker of the House Clay Schexnayder, R-Gonzales, is sponsor of House Bill 14 that is expected to be approved by the House today. The House and Governmental Affairs Committee approved it with a 13-4 vote Wednesday.

Three state senators represent Calcasieu Parish and their reapportionment bill is Senate Bill 1 by Senate President Page Cortez, R-Lafayette. The bill has been approved by the Senate redistricting committee and is also expected to be approved today by the full Senate.

Each of those redistricting measures will have to be approved by the other legislative chamber, but they rarely run into much opposition.

Once both bills are approved and signed they would become effective for the 2023 legislative elections and for other purposes on Jan. 8, 2024.

District 25 Sen. Mark Abraham, R-Lake Charles, would represent 5 precincts in Acadia Parish under SB1, 36 precincts in Calcasieu Parish and all of Cameron and Jeff Davis parishes.

District 27 Sen. Jeremy Stine, R-Lake Charles, would represent 67 precincts in Calcasieu Parish.

District 30 Sen. Mike Reese, R-Leesville, would represent all of Beauregard and Vernon parishes, 20 precincts in Calcasieu Parish and 10 precincts in Rapides Parish.

District 32 Rep. R. Dewith Carrier, R-Oakdale, would represent all of Allen Parish under provisions of HB14, 7 precincts in Beauregard Parish and 13 precincts in Calcasieu Parish.

District 33 Rep. Les Farnum, R-Sulphur, would represent 24 precincts in Calcasieu Parish.

District 34 Rep. Wilford Carter, D-Lake Charles, would represent 30 precincts in Calcasieu Parish.

District 35 Rep. Brett Geymann, R-Moss Bluff, would represent 4 precincts in Beauregard Parish and 21 precincts in Calcasieu Parish.

District 36 Rep. Phillip Tarver, R-Lake Charles, would represent 22 precincts in Calcasieu Parish.

District 37 Rep. Troy D. Romero, R-Jennings, would represent all of Jeff Davis Parish and 8 precincts in Calcasieu Parish.

District 40 Rep. Ryan Bourriaque, R-Abbeville, would represent all of Cameron Parish, 27 precincts in Vermilion Parish and 5 precincts in Calcasieu Parish.

The other two House members from Southwest Louisiana are Reps. Charles Owen, R-Rosepine, of District 30 and Rodney Schamerhorn, R-Hornbeck, of District 24. Owen would represent 19 precincts in Beauregard Parish and 40 in Vernon Parish. Schamerhorn would represent 10 precincts in Beauregard Parish and 33 in Vernon Parish.

The House currently has 68 Republicans, 34 Democrats and three independents. The Senate has 27 Republicans and 12 Democrats.