Parishes, cities and other Louisiana government entities looking to remove Confederate monuments from public spaces could have to follow a specific process under legislation being considered by a key state lawmaker. The changes would likely affect only cases moving forward, not necessarily the pending removal of four statutes under dispute in New Orleans. State Rep. Gene Reynolds, D-Minden, has asked legislative staff to research what, if anything, can be done to establish a process for the discussion of Confederate monument removal in the future. He wants to know if other states have established procedures for debating whether monuments should come down. “I want some structure and some policies and procedures by which we can make these decisions. Any knee-jerk decision is usually wrong,” said Reynolds, who took over as head of the Democratic caucus in the Louisiana House of Representatives this week. “We should know who would make the decisions and how.” Reynolds said any bill he filed wouldn’t necessarily have an impact on the process under way to remove statues of Robert E. Lee and P.G.T. Beauregard, both Confederate generals, Jefferson Davis, the Confederate president, and the monument to the Battle of Liberty Place. But he would want to shape how…
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