About Valarie Hodges
Valarie Hodges, State Representative, was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 2011 to serve the constituents of District 64 and is currently serving her third term. She is a strong and steadfast voice fearlessly advocating for her district, small-government conservatism, and traditional family values.
Representative Hodges’ committee assignments are Vice-Chair of Homeland Security, Appropriations, Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget, Judiciary, and Administration of Criminal Justice. She is also the chairwoman of two oversight committees in the Louisiana Legislature. She was appointed to the Governor’s anti-human trafficking task force.
Representative Hodges has passed bills that enhance homeland security, support foster care, toughen abortion laws, prevent human trafficking, and strengthen Second Amendment rights. She is a solid fiscal conservative with a record of supporting budget cuts and tax reductions. She has memorialized Congress on multiple occasions to advocate on behalf of Israel, human trafficking, religious liberty, and immigration.
In 2014, she formed the Comite River Diversion Canal (CRDC) Project Task Force (HCR51), which she chairs. The CRDC Project is a vital component of a comprehensive flood plain management plan of the Amite River Basin to protect the Metro Baton Rouge area from catastrophic flooding. The purpose of her task force is to investigate why the project had stalled and she was successful in getting it moving again.
Since the historic flood in August 2016, the fourth largest natural disaster ($8 billion) in U. S. history, Representative Hodges has fortified her commitment to see the CRDC Project completed. On April 15, 2019, a groundbreaking ceremony was held to signify the start of the construction of the CRDC Project.
After the 2016 flood when other avenues of mitigation began to look promising, the area was expanded to include the entire Amite River Basin. Through legislation, the name was changed in 2019 to the Amite River Basin Task Force. In 2019, the Darlington Reservoir has been added to the focus of potential flood relief.
Representative Hodges led the fight in 2016 to put an end to sanctuary cities in Louisiana. Additionally, in 2015, she formed an Immigration Task Force (HR175) to determine the fiscal and economic impact on taxpayers for multiple aspects of illegal immigration. As a result of the task force findings, in 2016, she memorialized Congress (HCR121) asking for reimbursement of costs incurred by Louisiana taxpayers due to federal mandates. These costs have added to the state’s already strained deficit budget. In the 2019 legislative session, she introduced legislation through HB530. It would have deterred the theft of our LA tax dollars by requiring that the taxpayer certifies in the filing process that the dependent they are claiming actually does qualify as a legal citizen of Louisiana. It really is time that we protect those dollars that you work hard for rather than just asking for more. Representative Valarie Hodges served on the Executive Board of the Republican Party and in various local, state, and national organizations. She serves as Vice-Chair of the Human Trafficking Task Force that put Louisiana ranking #1 in the nation in the fight against human trafficking. She has received many awards during her legislative tenure including the 2015 National Security Golden Eagle Award from ACT for America and this year, she has relentlessly volunteered for many Republican campaigns, in order, to elect conservative leaders to all levels of public office.
Representative Hodges married her childhood sweetheart, Leland Hodges and they have been blessed with 3 children and 6 grandchildren. She and Leland served as missionaries for 18 years in the extremely harsh conditions in Guadalajara, Mexico. They founded an international ministry and still oversee churches in Nicaragua and Guadalajara, Mexico.