Clay John Schexnayder is an American businessman and politician from Ascension Parish, Louisiana.
13 Facts About Clay Schexnayder
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Clay Schexnayder's grandfather Harold "Pocahontas" Schexnayder was a longtime Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries game warden, and he spent much of his childhood in the Maurepas Swamp area.
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In 1998, Schexnayder opened Car Craft and Rubber Company Automotive, in Sorrento, a town in Ascension Parish, and has operated the business since that time.
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Clay Schexnayder was first elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 2011 from District 81, which encompasses parts of four parishes: Livingston, Ascension, St James, and St John the Baptist.
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Clay Schexnayder defended the florist-licensure requirement, framing it as a consumer-protection measure.
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In 2019, Clay Schexnayder sponsored legislation to permit and regulate industrial hemp cultivation in the state, and to authorize licensed retailers to sell hemp-derived products, including cannabidiol ; The bill passed the legislature and was signed into law by Governor Edwards.
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In January 2020, Clay Schexnayder won the post of speaker of the House after some Democrats supported him, while most of the Republican representatives supported a different candidate for the post, Livingston Republican Sherman Mack.
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Clay Schexnayder won by winning the votes of all 35 House Democrats; 23 of the House Republicans; and two representatives with no party affiliation.
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In exchange for their support, Clay Schexnayder allocated some committee chairmanships to Democrats, although Republicans retained decisive majorities on all committees.
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In 2021, after Governor Edwards vetoed 28 bills from the previous legislative session, Clay Schexnayder called a veto session, the first such session since Louisiana's current constitution was adopted in 1974.
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Clay Schexnayder asked Garofalo not to move the bill forward, but Garofalo did so anyway.
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Clay Schexnayder pushed legislation to extend Louisiana's movie production incentives for an additional eight years; the bill passed in 2023.
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In 2023, Clay Schexnayder publicly considered a potential run for governor.