Louisiana Senators Stewart Cathey, Regina Barrow nearly come to blows in Capitol spat

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Two Louisiana senators - Republican Stewart Cathey of West Monroe and Democrat Regina Barrow of Baton Rouge - nearly came to blows Monday following debate over a bill that amplified the divide between the northern and southern parts of the state.

"Stewart Cathey came within 2 seconds of getting his butt whipped," Barrow said of the exchange. "If (Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome) hadn't walked up, I was about to charge him."

Barrow's reaction came after she said Cathey stuck his finger in her face and cursed loudly in the hallway outside the Senate Fiscal Affairs Committee room.

"I'm competitive and passionate about legislation and my district and I let my competitive juices get the best of me," Cathey told USA Today Network.

Cathey later apologized to Barrow on the Senate floor.

The confrontation followed debate over Cathey's Senate Bill 193, which would redistribute $7.5 million across the state rather than the entire amount go to East Baton Rouge Parish.

Cathey said the ad valorem tax is collected on the value of railcars throughout the state, but East Baton Rouge receives all of the revenue.

"Nobody knows why," Cathey said.

Barrow agreed that the origin of the collections is a mystery, but said Cathey should have approached capitol area lawmakers before presenting the bill.

"I don't know the rationale - it happened 50 years ago," Barrow said. "But to just yank it away isn't a good way to go about it. It caught all of us off guard."

Cathey postponed a committee vote on the bill until next week.

"Look, North Louisiana is almost always treated unfairly," he said. "This revenue should be shared across the state."

"I will eventually accept the apology, but it's too fresh right now," Barrow said.

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