Alfred C. Williams

Alfred C. Williams (born July 8, 1952)^[1][2] is an African-American attorney from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who is a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 61 in East Baton Rouge Parish. He was first elected in 2011.^[3]

Background

A native of New Orleans,^[2] Williams graduated in 1969 from Capitol High School in 1972 from the historically black Southern University, and in 1977 from Southern University Law Center, all in Baton Rouge.^[3] He has formerly resided in Thibodaux in Lafourche Parish and in Gramercy, and Vacherie in St. James Parish. He has also previously resided in Atlanta, Georgia and several Virginia cities, including Lynchburg and Roanoke, dates unavailable.^[4]

Williams is single and has five children, full names missing: Rhonda, Cherease, Aiesha, Kristle, Natayveon. He is a Baptist.^[2]

Political life

From 2003 to 2005, Williams was a member of the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board. He ran unsuccessfully for the District 61 House seat in 1999.^[2]

In 2011, he won the general election, a low-turnout contest, for the same seat over fellow Democrat, C. Denise Marcelle, 2,052 votes (52.8 percent) to 1,836 (46.2 percent).^[5]He succeeded African-American Democrat Michael L. Jackson, who ran unsuccessfully in 2008 for the United States House of Representatives for Louisiana's 6th congressional district; the victor was later U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican.

Representative Williams is a member of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus and the Democratic Caucus. He is the chairman of the Labor and Industrial Relations Committee and serves as well on the Civil Law and Procedure Committee, and the House Committee on Enrollment.^[3]

Williams' legislative ratings have ranged from 40 to 67 percent from the conservative Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. In 2013 and 2014, the Louisiana Family Forum scored him 40 and 17 percent, respectively. In 2013 and 2014, he was rated 50 and 60 percent, respectively, by Louisiana Right to Life.^[6]

In 2014, Williams voted for the requirement that abortion providers have hospital admitting privileges near their clinics; only five House members opposed the measure. That same year, he voted to extend the time for implementation of the Common Core State Standards Initiative. He voted to forbid the transportation of dogs in open truck beds on interstate highways.^[7]

In 2013, Williams voted to reduce penalties for the possession of marijuana and opposed lifetime concealed carry gun permits and voting to make such information on weapon permits part of the public record. He voted to increase judicial pay and to end the mandatory retirement age for judges. In 2012, he voted to prohibit the use of cell phones while driving and opposed state tax incentives to recruit a National Basketball Association team to Louisiana. He opposed reducing the number of hours that polling locations remain open. Louisiana has traditionally had 14-hour polling days. He opposed the requirement for drug testing of welfare recipients.^[7]

References