Louisiana Illuminator Rep. Ray Garofalo chairs a mostly empty House Education Committee room. (JC Canicosa/Louisiana Illuminator) After weeks of a political drama in the House Education Committee that spilled over into the full House, Rep. Ray Garofalo (R-Chalmette) was officially removed as chair of that committee by Speaker Clay Schexnayder (R-Gonzales). “As elected members of the legislature, it is our duty to continually prioritize the needs of our state over and above the needs or desires of any one individual,” Schexnayder said in a written statement Wednesday afternoon. “With this in mind and with careful consideration, I have decided to remove Representative Ray Garofalo as the Chairman of the Louisiana House Education Committee. “