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53-559: Vitter may refer to: People [ edit ] David Vitter , junior U.S. Senator from Louisiana Jeffrey Vitter , 17th Chancellor of the University of Mississippi Other [ edit ] Vittra (folklore) , singular form vitter , a creature found in Scandinavian folklore Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with

106-626: A Rhodes Scholar ; and a Juris Doctor degree in 1988 from the Tulane University Law School in New Orleans. He was a practicing lawyer, and adjunct law professor at Tulane and Loyola University New Orleans . Vitter and his wife Wendy , a former prosecutor, have four children. Vitter's brother Jeffrey is a computer scientist who has served as chancellor of the University of Mississippi from January 2016 to January 2019. Vitter

159-400: A balanced budget constitutional amendment , abolishing the federal and state estate tax , increasing local police forces, and an assortment of health care, tax and national defense reforms. After conceding defeat to John Bel Edwards in the 2015 Louisiana gubernatorial election, Vitter announced that he would not seek reelection to his Senate seat in 2016 and would retire from office at

212-571: A border fence ; permission for local and state police to enforce immigration laws and penalties for states who issue drivers licenses to illegals. None of these proposals passed, partially because the Democratic-controlled Senate preferred a comprehensive approach which would include a guest-worker program and a path to citizenship for the current population more akin to the package defeated by Vitter in 2007. De La Salle High School (New Orleans, Louisiana) De La Salle High School

265-550: A lobbying and ethics reform package to which Vitter proposed a package of five amendments. The Senate approved three that limited which legislators' spouses could lobby the Senate, created criminal penalties for legislators and executive branch officials who falsify financial reports, and doubled the penalties for lobbyists who failed to comply with disclosure requirements . The Senate rejected prohibiting legislators from paying their families with campaign funds with some saying it

318-490: A Republican lawyer and the owner of New Orleans's minor league baseball team, garnered 6 percent. In the runoff, Vitter defeated Treen 51–49 percent. In 2000 and 2002, Vitter was re-elected with more than 80 percent of the vote in what had become a safe Republican district. In 2001, Vitter co-authored legislation to restrict the number of physicians allowed to prescribe RU-486 , a drug used in medical abortions. The bill died in committee. In 2003, Vitter proposed to amend

371-588: A bill to prohibit Indian casinos such as Jena's. Neither bill became law. Rated "A" by the NRA Political Victory Fund , Vitter has been a consistent defender of gun rights . In April 2006, in response to firearm confiscations in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Vitter was the Senate sponsor of the Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act , to prohibit federal funding for the confiscation of legally held firearms during

424-644: A disaster. Later, Vitter included the provisions of the act in an amendment to an appropriation bill for the Department Of Homeland Security . The bill became law in September 2006, with the amendment modified to allow for the temporary surrender of a firearm as a condition for entering a rescue or evacuation vehicle. On April 17, 2013, Vitter voted against the Toomey-Manchin Gun Control Amendment. The amendment failed to reach

477-467: A large old home (which also served as the residence for the De La Salle Brothers) on Pitt Street, but, in 1951, De La Salle High School moved to the present building on St. Charles Avenue. A number of additions to the school's physical plant have been made over the years. These additions have included a wing of eight classrooms on Leontine Street (1957), a gymnasium (1961), a student chapel (1961),

530-598: A law that tells a rape victim that she does not have the right to defend herself?" Vitter replied, "The language in question did not say that in any way shape or form." Vitter opposed a bid by the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians to build a casino in Louisiana, arguing that the build site was not historically part of their tribal lands. He lobbied the Interior Department and included language in an appropriations bill to stop

583-710: A third-party typically chosen by the contractor adjudicates) and thereby prohibiting them from going to court. The impetus for the amendment came from the story of Jamie Leigh Jones who alleged that she was drugged and gang-raped by employees of Halliburton / KBR , a federal contractor. The amendment passed 68 to 30 with all opposition coming from Republicans including Vitter (all four female Republicans, six other Republicans and all present Democrats voted for passage). Vitter's 2010 Democratic Senatorial opponent Charlie Melancon criticized Vitter for his vote saying, "David Vitter has refused to explain why he voted to allow taxpayer-funded companies to sweep rape charges under

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636-558: A voluntary term limit when running for the U.S. Congress in 1999. His opponent characterized this stance as hypocritical, and Vitter countered that unless it were universally applied, the loss of seniority would disadvantage his district. As a Senator, he has proposed term limit constitutional amendments for members of Congress three times. Vitter eventually decided to retire from the Senate in 2016 after serving two terms. In 2007, in response to lobbying scandals involving, among others, Jack Abramoff and Duke Cunningham , Congress passed

689-479: Is a public health strategy focused on risk avoidance that aims to help young people avoid exposure to harm...by teaching teenagers that saving sex until marriage and remaining faithful afterwards is the best choice for health and happiness." Vitter was one of 35 Senators to vote against the Big 3 Bailout bill. The financial bailout package was for GM , Chrysler , and Ford , but failed to pass on December 11, 2008. During

742-520: Is an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Louisiana from 2005 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party , Vitter served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1992 to 1999 and in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1999 to 2005. Vitter was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004 . He was the first Republican to represent Louisiana in the Senate since

795-454: Is countered with many examples of similar restrictions on contractors such as discrimination, bonuses and health care. Others felt it was unconstitutional and that arbitration is useful in resolving disputes, often faster, privately and cheaper. Later, a Baton Rouge rape survivor confronted Vitter at a town hall meeting saying, "[it] meant everything to me that I was able to put the person who attacked me behind bars ... How can you support

848-709: Is named after St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle , the founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools , (the "French Christian Brothers"). De La Salle High School is a Lasallian education institution. De La Salle High School opened in September 1949 with a freshman class of 74 boys. The founding faculty/staff of the school included four De La Salle Christian Brothers: Brother Ernest Cocagne (De La Salle's first principal), Brother August Faure, Brother John Devine, and Brother Francis Vesel. Classes were initially held in

901-521: The Louisiana Weekly reported on a claim from Vincent Bruno, a campaign worker for Treen in 1999, about Vitter's alleged relationship with a prostitute, Vitter dropped out of the governor's race, saying he and his wife were dealing with marital problems. Bruno said on a New Orleans–based radio show that he had been told by a prostitute that she had interactions with Vitter. However, Treen and his campaign decided to not publicize this information during

954-587: The Illegal Immigration Act . Democratic Senator Dick Durbin , in opposition to the amendment, said these cities do not want to inquire about someone's status if they report a crime, are a victim of domestic violence or get vaccinations for their children. The amendment was defeated. In November 2007, Vitter introduced a bill requiring banks to verify that no customer was an illegal immigrant before issuing banking or credit cards. The bill never made it out of committee. In March 2008, Vitter reintroduced

1007-590: The Reconstruction Era , and the first ever Republican to be popularly elected. In 2007, Vitter admitted to and apologized for past involvement with prostitution as part of a Washington, D.C. escort service which gained much notoriety and while not affecting his 2010 election, is believed to have played a part in his loss of the 2015 gubernatorial election . In 2010 , Vitter won a second Senate term by defeating Democratic U.S. Representative Charlie Melançon . Vitter unsuccessfully ran for governor to succeed

1060-788: The Ronald Reagan White House. Vitter's amendment passed the Senate but later was stalled in the House. Later that year, Vitter co-sponsored the Pregnant Women Health and Safety Act which – along with other oversight regulations – required doctors performing abortions to have the authority granted by a nearby hospital to admit patients. The bill was never reported to committee. Vitter advocated abstinence-only sex education , emphasizing abstinence over sex education that includes information about birth control , drawing criticism from Planned Parenthood . He said, "Abstinence education

1113-535: The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), the national program to provide health care for children from families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford private health insurance. He said he preferred that private health insurance provide the needed care and deemed the bill as "Hillarycare", a reference to the 1993 Clinton health care plan created by Hillary Clinton which proposed universal health care . Vitter refused to pledge to

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1166-506: The U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex marriage . In 2004, he said, "This is a real outrage. The Hollywood left is redefining the most basic institution in human history...We need a U.S. Senator who will stand up for Louisiana values, not Massachusetts values ." In 2002, Vitter was preparing to run for governor in 2003, with the incumbent, Republican Mike Foster , prevented by term limits from running again. But in June 2002, shortly before

1219-491: The confirmation of Michael J. Sullivan as head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) saying Sullivan supports "burdensome regulations" on gun owners and dealers and is "overly aggressive" enforcing gun laws. An editorial writer for The Boston Globe wrote that Vitter's position was "unreasonable" because the guns Sullivan sought to control are those commonly used in crimes: those stolen or purchased on

1272-788: The jungle primary , garnering a majority of the vote, while the rest of the vote was mostly split among the Democratic contenders. Vitter was the first Republican in Louisiana to be popularly elected as a U.S. Senator. The previous Republican Senator, William Pitt Kellogg , was chosen by the state legislature in 1876, in accordance with the process used before the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution went into effect in 1914. Vitter began fundraising for his 2010 reelection run in December 2008. He raised $ 731,000 in

1325-406: The term-limited Bobby Jindal in the 2015 gubernatorial election . He lost the general election to Democrat John Bel Edwards . While conceding defeat to Edwards, Vitter announced that he would not seek reelection to his Senate seat in 2016 and would retire from office at the completion of his term. Following the conclusion of his second Senate term, Vitter became a lobbyist. David Bruce Vitter

1378-766: The Brother Arsenius Center (1980), the Buck Seeber Health and Fitness Center (2003), the Life Sciences Center (2008), and the Shane and Holley Guidry Baseball and Softball Complex (2009). De La Salle High School, which was initially an all-boys school, became coeducational in 1992. An interesting point regarding the school's history is that De La Salle High School was the first high school to open in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina . The school opened its doors to high school students from schools all across

1431-532: The DOD and the White House stated they agreed with the intent of the legislation and suggested it would be better if it was broadened to prohibit the use of arbitration in cases of sexual assault for any business contract, not just federal contractors. Senators explained their vote against the legislation by saying it was a political attack on Halliburton and that the Senate shouldn't regulate contracts. The latter argument

1484-610: The Gulf Coast region to rebuild broken levees, schools and hospitals, restore coastal wetlands, and provide assistance for its many victims. In early September, Vitter said that he would give "the entire big government organized relief effort a failing grade, across the board." He said that state and local governments shared in the blame as well. Vitter's actions during Hurricane Katrina are described in historian Douglas Brinkley 's May 2006 book, The Great Deluge . In September 2007, Vitter announced that he got "a critical concession" from

1537-564: The November 2 general election. State Representative Ernest Wooton of Belle Chasse in Plaquemines Parish , an Independent , also ran. On November 4, 2010, Vitter was re-elected as Louisiana Senator, defeating his Democratic rival, Melancon. Vitter got 715,304 votes while Melancon got 476,423 votes. Vitter received about 57% of the total vote while Melancon got 38%. The Independent candidate Wooton finished with 8,167 votes, or 1 percent of

1590-645: The Senate debate Vitter referred to the approach of giving the automotive industry a financial package before they restructured as "ass-backwards". He soon apologized for the phrasing of the comment, which did not appear in the Congressional Record . In response to the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill at an offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico threatening the coast of Louisiana, Vitter introduced legislation along with Jeff Sessions of Alabama to increase

1643-624: The White House that decreased Louisiana's obligations for hurricane recovery by $ 1 billion. However, the White House said that was false. Vitter has been actively involved with legislation concerning illegal immigrants . In June 2007, he led a group of conservative Senators in blocking the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act , a piece of federal legislation that would have granted a pathway to legal residence to 12 million illegal immigrants coupled with increased border enforcement. The bill's defeat won Vitter national attention as

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1696-473: The bill was supported by President George W. Bush , John McCain , and Ted Kennedy , among others. Vitter characterized the bill as amnesty , which supporters denied. Bush accused the bill's opponents of fear mongering . In October 2007, Vitter introduced an amendment withholding Community Oriented Policing Services funds from any sanctuary city which bans city employees and police officers from asking people about their immigration status in violation of

1749-450: The black market. On the other hand, gun rights advocates say that many gun dealers have lost their licenses for harmless bureaucratic errors. Sullivan stayed on as acting head of the ATF until January 2009 to make way for President Barack Obama to name his own nominee. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina , Vitter and the rest of the Louisiana congressional delegation worked to bring aid to

1802-671: The cap altogether. Sessions argued that large caps unrelated to company profits would harm smaller companies. In May 2013, Vitter introduced the Chemical Safety Improvement Act , a bipartisan bill to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act , which would have regulated the introduction of new or already existing chemicals. The bill would have given additional authority to the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate chemicals and streamline

1855-604: The casino. Although the Interior Department gave its approval, the casino has not yet been approved by the state. The Jena chief accused Vitter of ties with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff , who simultaneously lobbied against the casino. The chairman of the Senate committee investigating the lobbyist said, "The committee has seen absolutely no evidence whatsoever that Senator Vitter's opposition to (the proposed casino) had to do with anything other than his long-standing opposition to gambling." In 2007 and 2008, Vitter introduced

1908-600: The city and surrounding areas. De La Salle High School athletic programs compete as a member of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA). The Cavaliers competed in the New Orleans Catholic League from 1955-56 through 2002-03, when the school chose to remain in the lower classification dictated by its enrollment instead of playing up to the highest classification, which three other Catholic League members were also doing at

1961-498: The completion of his term. In October 2007, Vitter introduced an amendment barring all federal public funds to health care providers and Planned Parenthood that provide services that include abortion. Federal law bars any funding to directly finance elective abortions in accordance with the Hyde amendment. Vitter argued that the funds are used for overhead costs that benefit the abortion services. The amendment failed to pass. Following

2014-508: The election. In 2004, Vitter ran to replace Democrat John Breaux in the U.S. Senate. During the campaign, Vitter was accused by a member of the Louisiana Republican State Central Committee of having had a lengthy affair with a prostitute in New Orleans. Vitter responded that the allegation was "absolutely and completely untrue" and that it was "just crass Louisiana politics." On November 2, 2004, Vitter won

2067-613: The first quarter of 2009 and $ 2.5 million for his 2010 campaign. He had wide leads against potential Democratic opponents in aggregate general election polling. He faced intraparty opposition from Chet D. Traylor of Monroe , a former associate justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court , in the August 28 Republican primary election and defeated him. He faced the Democratic U.S. Representative Charlie Melançon of Napoleonville in

2120-437: The initial vote on May 1, 1999, former Congressman and Governor David C. Treen finished first with 36,719 votes (25 percent). Vitter was second, with 31,741 (22 percent), and white nationalist David Duke finished third with 28,055 votes (19 percent). Monica L. Monica, a Republican ophthalmologist , had 16 percent; State Representative Bill Strain , a conservative Democrat , finished fifth with 11 percent; and Rob Couhig ,

2173-437: The latter two proposals and cosponsored ten of eleven other bills in a Republican package of tough immigration enforcement measures including jail time for illegal border crossing; deportation for any immigrant (legal or illegal) for a single driving while intoxicated ; declaration of English as the official language (thereby terminating language assistance at voting booths and federal agencies); additional construction of

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2226-414: The liability cap of an oil company from $ 75 million to its most recent annual profits (or $ 150 million if greater). In the case of BP , the owner of the oil lease, its liability would be $ 20 billion. Vitter later introduced an amendment that would remove the cap entirely for this particular spill. Competing Democratic proposals would have raised the liability to $ 10 billion regardless of profits or removed

2279-605: The patchwork of state laws on chemicals under federal authority. In April 2008, Vitter introduced an amendment to continue funding the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act which was excluded from the 2008/2009 budget. The federal program maintains a national sex offender registry , provides resources for tracking down unregistered sex offenders and increases penalties for the sexual assault of children. His amendment received bipartisan support. In September 2007, Vitter opposed an increase of $ 35 billion for

2332-505: The proposal was singling them out unfairly. The reform package became law in September 2007. In 2009, Vitter and Democratic former Senator Russ Feingold announced an effort to end automatic pay raises for members of Congress. In October 2009, the Senate passed Democratic Senator Al Franken 's amendment to the 2010 Defense Appropriations bill that would forbid federal contractors from forcing victims of sexual assault , battery and discrimination to submit to binding arbitration (where

2385-725: The reform occurred in 2007 . In order to leverage the term limits advantage in that election, Vitter formed a Political Action Committee with the goal of winning a legislative Republican majority. While the Republicans saw gains, the Democrats maintained majority control. Vitter opposed gambling during his tenure in the Louisiana House. Vitter won a special election to Louisiana's 1st congressional district in 1999 , succeeding Republican U.S. Representative Bob Livingston , who resigned after disclosure that he had committed adultery . In

2438-504: The rejection, Vitter and others urged the Senate to pass a similar bill introduced by Vitter in January 2007. The bill failed to pass. In January 2008, Vitter proposed an amendment to prohibit the funding of abortions with Indian Health Service funds except in the case of rape, incest , or when the life of the woman is at risk. The amendment would have held future presidential administrations to an executive principle first crafted in 1982 by

2491-517: The rug. We can only guess what his reasons were." However, The Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker argued that the 30 senators were being "unfairly smeared for doing the harder thing, maybe even for the right reasons." Republican senators said they voted against it because it was unenforceable, a position also taken by the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Obama administration . However,

2544-645: The sixty senatorial votes necessary to overcome a Republican-led filibuster. The Toomey-Manchin Gun Control Amendment is a bipartisan deal on gun background checks. Under the proposal, federal background checks would be expanded to include gun shows and online sales. All such sales would be channeled through licensed firearm dealers who would be charged for keeping record of transactions. The proposal does not require background checks for private sales between individuals. In February 2008, Vitter – along with Senators Larry Craig and Mike Crapo of Idaho – blocked

2597-536: The title Vitter . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vitter&oldid=702771870 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Disambiguation pages with surname-holder lists Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages David Vitter David Bruce Vitter (born May 3, 1961)

2650-535: The total cast. Vitter has identified himself as a political conservative throughout his political career. His legislative agenda includes positions ranging from anti-abortion to pro-gun rights while legislating against gambling, same-sex marriage , civil unions, federal funding for abortion providers, increases in the State Children's Health Insurance Program , the United Nations, and amnesty for America's illegal immigrants . Vitter's stated positions include

2703-467: Was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1992 to 1999. Vitter has argued for ethics reform and term limits since he was in the Louisiana Legislature in the early 1990s. As a Louisiana state legislator, Vitter successfully pushed through a term limits amendment to the state constitution to oust the largely Democratic legislature. The first election legislators affected by

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2756-490: Was born on May 3, 1961, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is the son of Audrey Malvina (née St. Raymond) and Albert Leopold Vitter. Vitter graduated in 1979 from De La Salle High School in New Orleans. While a student at De La Salle, Vitter participated in the Close Up Washington civic education program. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College in 1983; a second B.A. from Magdalen College, Oxford in 1985, as

2809-464: Was unrelated to the current legislation and others that the payments were not a problem. Additionally, they tabled his proposal to define Indian tribes as corporations and its members as shareholders so that they are required to contribute to candidates through political action committees instead of their tribal treasury. Senators objected saying that they are already subjected to campaign laws for unincorporated entities and individuals and that

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