Almost to a person, the performers who stepped up cited a special love for the city's artistic tradition -- from the Creole brass bands that invented jazz in the city's streets to the colorful Mardi Gras krewes whose elaborate floats and costumes are an emblem of the city's annual pre-Lent bacchanal.

CNN: Celebrities keep spotlight on New Orleans 4 years after Katrina

All but a handful of the freshmen lent their votes to the pre-existing reform movement within the House Democratic Caucus.

CNN: By Ronald D. Elving, CQ Staff Writer