(AP) — Michael Baer, an attorney who was the secretary of the Louisiana Senate from 1979 until 2004, has died, according to Senate president Joel Chaisson.
Chaisson announced Baer’s death Thursday morning on the floor of the Senate, where Baer’s passing was marked by a moment of silence.
As secretary, Baer served as the Senate’s chief administrator, overseeing the staff that drafted legislation and dispensing advice on the body’s often complicated rules and parliamentary procedure.
Baer’s career in the Senate ended in 2005. The Senate voted to fire him after he sent a mass e-mail to the Legislature and staff containing vulgar jokes and a sexually suggestive video. Baer said he meant to delete the suggestive e-mail but hit the wrong button.—-Contact The Daily Reveille’s news staff at [email protected]