BATON ROUGE, LA (5/1/2025) — The Alexandria civil service bill, authored by Rep. Mike Johnson, is advancing in the Louisiana Legislature.
House Bill 33 (HB33) would exempt certain Alexandria IT and cybersecurity employees from classified civil service protections. These employees manage sensitive data, computer operations, and network security.
Most city employees remain protected under the classified system. Police and fire personnel follow separate civil service rules.
Current unclassified employees include elected officials, the mayor’s executive assistants, the chief administrative officer, division heads, contract workers, and part-time staff.
The Alexandria civil service bill adds IT staff to this list. Johnson’s proposal claims this change would improve hiring flexibility and response to cybersecurity threats.
However, the bill’s introduction has raised transparency concerns.
At the House Municipal, Parochial, and Cultural Affairs Committee meeting on April 24, 2025, Rep. Joe Stagni asked whether Alexandria’s governing authority had passed a resolution requesting the change.
Rep. Mike Johnson deferred to Mayor Jacques Roy. The mayor responded, “We didn’t do a resolution,” and explained that his first order of business had been addressing a security breach.
The absence of a city council resolution is not illegal under Louisiana law.
However, it is highly unusual. Standard practice calls for municipalities to pass resolutions when seeking changes to state law. Resolutions provide transparency and confirm that the elected governing authority supports the request.
The lack of a council resolution suggests the proposal bypassed public debate and formal consent from the city council. It is also unclear whether council members were notified before the bill’s filing.
The Alexandria civil service bill passed committee review and a House floor vote without opposition. The final House vote is scheduled for May 5, 2025.
While the bill addresses cybersecurity concerns, the process has raised serious questions about public accountability and transparency in Alexandria’s city government.committee review and a House floor vote without opposition. The final House vote is scheduled for May 5, 2025.
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