2008 1ST EXTRAORDINARY SESSION
GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS
In an effort further transparency in state government,
House Bill 56 by Representative Tucker (Act 12), creates an independent
office of the state inspector general within the office of the governor.
The Act provides an independent office of the state
inspector general in the office of the governor to examine and investigate the
management and affairs of covered agencies as follows:
(1) The inspector general shall be appointed by
the governor with the Senate's consent. No person shall be appointed who
holds or is a candidate for any elective office, including elective
political party office, holds any other public office, or has held any
elective or political party office within two years immediately
preceding his appointment. No former inspector general shall be eligible
to become a qualified candidate for any elective office, including
elective political party office, or shall assume any elective office or
political party office, within four years after the termination of his
service as inspector general.
(2) Provides that the inspector general shall
serve a six-year term. Provides that if a vacancy exists in the office
of the state inspector general for more than six months, then the holder
of the next highest level administrative position in the office shall
become the inspector general, subject to confirmation by the Senate.
(3) Provides for the governor to set the
compensation of the inspector general, not to exceed the amount approved
for the position by the legislature while in session.
(4) Requires the legislature to make adequate
appropriations to the office to enable it to implement the Act.
(5) Provides that the attorney general or his
designee shall be responsible for the legal representation of the
office.
The inspector general shall have the following authority,
functions, and duties:
(1) To serve as executive head and chief
administrative officer for the office and be responsible for the
policies, administration, control, and operation of the office.
(2) To examine and investigate the management and
affairs of covered agencies concerning waste, inefficiencies,
mismanagement, misconduct, abuse, fraud, and corruption, including
misuse of state property, patterns of excessive bills on state
contracts, unauthorized use of leave, mismanagement of governmental
operations, waste or abuse of things of value belonging to or used by
covered agencies, and construction, operation, and maintenance of
facilities. "Covered agencies" includes all departments, offices,
agencies, boards, commissions, task forces, authorities, and divisions
of the executive branch.
(3) To administer oaths and take the testimony of
those sworn and compel the attendance of witnesses to be deposed under
oath or the production of public and private records by issuing a
subpoena; however, such a subpoena (or subpoena duces tecum) shall be
issued only upon approval of a judge of the district court of the parish
where the inspector general's office is domiciled upon the inspector
general's written application; the judge shall issue a written decision
within 72 hours after receiving such application; any subpoena for
production of private records shall be in compliance with all applicable
constitutionally established rights and processes. The Act provides that
the subpoena may be served by certified mail, return receipt requested,
by representatives appointed by the inspector general, or by the office
of the state police. It further provides that if a person refuses to
obey a subpoena issued by the inspector general, the court where the
inspector general is domiciled, upon application of the inspector
general, may issue an order to the person requiring him to appear before
the court to show cause why an order shall not be issued ordering him to
obey the subpoena.
(4) To have access to all of a covered agency's
records, information, data, reports, plans, projections, matters,
contracts, memoranda, correspondence, and other materials and to be
deemed to be an authorized representative and agent of each covered
agency for: (a) examining and investigating the records of all
contractors, subcontractors, grantees, or subgrantees of covered
agencies, and (b) obtaining access to any records of a covered agency in
the possession of a third party, including bank account records.
(5) To help prevent waste, inefficiency,
mismanagement, misconduct, abuse, fraud, and corruption by reviewing
policies and procedures, monitoring operations, and making
recommendations.
(6) To receive complaints of waste, inefficiency,
mismanagement, misconduct, abuse, fraud, or corruption in the covered
agencies, investigate such complaints which warrant investigation and
recommend if disciplinary action or further investigation by his office
or other agencies is appropriate and to take other appropriate action;
to maintain a toll-free fraud hotline number and web site for anonymous
reporting.
(7) To report complaints to federal, state, or
local agencies when there is evidence of criminal activity and when
otherwise appropriate and to cooperate with them.
(8) To make reports of findings to the governor,
which reports are subject to existing law relative to public records.
(9) To submit an annual report detailing his
office's activities to the governor and make such report available
online.
(10) To submit an annual report to the governor
and the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget (and their staffs upon
request) at the end of each fiscal year describing the office's
accomplishments and contributions toward preventing and detecting waste,
fraud, and abuse in government.
The inspector general shall provide for an opportunity for
agency response prior to the release of a report concerning the agency except
for when the inspector general, in conjunction with a U.S. attorney, the state
attorney general, district attorneys, or other prosecutorial agencies,
determines that supplying such a report will jeopardize a pending or potential
criminal investigation. The inspector general is required to engage in
prevention activities, including reviewing legislation, rules, regulations,
policies, procedures, and transactions; providing for training and education;
and making recommendations to the governor and the legislature to strengthen
public integrity laws.
The Act requires the inspector general, upon credible
information of corruption or fraud, to notify law enforcement agencies and
allows him to assist in conducting the law enforcement agency's investigation
subsequent to notification and authorizes him to file a complaint with the Board
of Ethics upon detecting a violation of the ethics code.
The inspector general is authorized to monitor
implementation of its recommendations made to covered agencies and to conduct
joint investigations and projects with other oversight or law enforcement
agencies and requires him to do all things necessary to carry out the functions
set forth in the Act.
The Act provides that the records prepared and obtained by
the inspector general in connection with his investigations shall be deemed
confidential and protected from disclosure. The inspector general shall keep
confidential any record or information which is confidential under other
provisions of law and any violation of this provision by the inspector general
or his employees is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $2,000 and/or
imprisonment for not more than one year.
The Act provides for the placement of the office of state
inspector general in the office of the governor under provisions granting it
independent status.
LOBBYING
Continuing the transparency theme, Senate Bill 8 by
Senator Chaisson (Act 9), amends existing law that prohibited a public
servant (which includes a public employee or an elected official) from receiving
any thing of economic value, other than compensation and benefits from the
governmental entity to which he is entitled, for the performance of his duties.
Existing law further prohibited a public servant from soliciting or accepting
any thing of economic value as a gift or gratuity from any person if the public
servant knows or should know that such person has or is seeking to obtain a
business relationship with the public servant's agency or is seeking to
influence the passage or defeat of legislation by the public servant's agency.
It also prohibited public employees from accepting any thing of economic value
from any person who conducts operations regulated by the public employee's
agency or who has substantial economic interests which may be substantially
affected by the performance or nonperformance of the public employee's official
duty.
The Act prohibits a person from whom a public servant or a
public employee from receiving a thing of economic value from giving to such
public servant any food, drink, or refreshment, the total value of which exceeds
$50 for a single event at which food, drink, or refreshment is given and
specifies that the total value of the food, drink, or refreshment given to a
public servant or public employee at any single event shall not exceed $50
regardless of the number of persons giving food, drink, or refreshment to the
public servant or public employee at the single event.
Requires the Board of Ethics, on July 1, 2009, and
annually thereafter, to calculate and adjust the food, drink or refreshment
limit of $50 based upon the increase in the index as measured by the Consumer
Price Index (CPI-U). Requires the board to promulgate the limit in accordance
with the Administrative Procedure Act.
The Act further requires that at an event to which a group
or organization of public servants is invited and at which food, drink, or
refreshment is given, the value of the food, drink, or refreshment provided to a
public servant is to be determined by dividing the total cost of the food,
drink, and refreshment provided at the event by the total number of persons
invited to the event however, the Act does not apply to a gathering held in
conjunction with a meeting related to a national or regional organization or a
meeting of a statewide organization of governmental officials or employees.
Continuing the transparency theme, Senate Bill 11 by
Senator Chaisson (Act 13), amends existing law which regulates lobbying of
the legislature and the executive branch of state government. Existing law
defined "expenditure" (relative to legislators/executive branch officials) as a
gift or payment of money or any thing of value when the amount of value exceeds
$10 for the purchase of food, drink, or refreshment for a (legislator/executive
branch official) and any gift or payment as permitted by R.S. 42:1123(13) and
(16) when the value exceeds $10 for the purpose of lobbying when the lobbyist or
principal accounts would be expected to account for the expenditure as an
ordinary and necessary expense directly related to the active conduct of the
lobbyist's, his employer's, or the principal's trade or business.
The Act deletes the $10 requirement and adds spouse or
minor child of a legislator/executive branch official, a public servant, other
than a legislator in the legislative branch of state government to those
individuals from whom a lobbyist cannot purchase food, drink, or refreshment.
Lobbyist are now required to register with the board as
soon as possible or after the first action requiring his registration, whichever
occurs first, but not later than five days of such employment or not later than
five days after the first action requiring his registration as a lobbyist,
whichever occurs first and requires that such registration be filed
electronically with the board.
Existing law required a lobbyist to provide the following
information when registering:
(1) His name and business address.
(2) The name and address of each person by whom he
is employed and, if different, whose interests he represents, including
the business in which that person is engaged.
(3) The name of each person by whom he is paid or
is to be paid for lobbying.
(4) A copy of a 2" x 2" photo made within the
preceding six months of an initial registrant.
The Act further requires that the following information be
filed by a lobbyist:
(1) The amount he is paid or is to be paid for
lobbying using category ranges. Category ranges are:
Category I, less than $24,999;
Category II, $25,000 - $49,999;
Category III, $50,000-$99,999;
Category IV, $100,000-$249,000;
(2) A characterization of such payment as paid,
earned but not received, or prospective.
(3) An indication of potential subject matter
about which he anticipates lobbying. Provides that such indication is to
be made by choosing from one or more items on a list of potential
subject matter categories. The Act lists 32 such categories. Provides
that the unintentional omission of a potential subject matter shall not
be a violation.
(4) The identity of each legislator or spouse of a
legislator, or each statewide elected official or spouse, or each
executive branch department head or spouse, with whom he or his employer
or principal has, or has had in the preceding 12 months a business
relationship.
The term "business relationship" (relative to a
legislator, his spouse, an executive branch department head, his spouse and a
statewide elected official and his spouse) is defined as any transaction,
contract, or activity that is conducted or undertaken for profit and which
arises from a joint ownership interest, partnership, or common legal entity
between a lobbyist, his employer, or principal and a legislator or his spouse
when the legislator or his spouse owns 10% or more of such interest or entity.
The term "executive branch department head" is defined as
the following individuals:
The secretaries of each of the following departments of
state government: Department of Economic Development, Department of Culture,
Recreation and Tourism, Department of Environmental Quality, Department of
Health and Hospitals, Department of Labor, Department of Natural Resources,
Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Department of Revenue, Department
of Social Services, Department of Transportation and Development, Department of
Wildlife and Fisheries, and Department of Veterans Affairs.
- The executive secretary of the Public Service
Commission.
- The director of state civil service.
- Each member of the State Board of Elementary and
Secondary Education.
- The state superintendent of education, the
commissioner of higher education, and the president of each public
postsecondary education system.
- The commissioner of the division of administration.
- Each member of the Board of Ethics and the ethics
administrator.
- The chief of staff of the office of the governor.
- The executive counsel to the governor
- The legislative director for the governor.
- The policy director for the governor.
- The deputy chief of the office of the governor.
With respect to legislative lobbying, the Act allows a
lobbyist who is compensated for both lobbying and non-lobbying services to
reasonably allocate compensation received and report only the amount received
for lobbying and requires that the board publish such forms electronically and
make such filings available to the public via the Internet.
A lobbyist who has a change in information provided to the
board shall file a supplemental electronic registration as soon as possible and
in no event not later than five days of such change using forms provided by the
board.
The Act provides for monthly filing of expenditure
reports, by the 25th of the month for the previous month and requires
a lobbyist to list each subject matter lobbied during each reporting period and
provides that the expenditure report shall be filed electronically with the
board and retained by the lobbyist for no less than three years.
Existing law (with respect to legislative/executive branch
lobbying) provided that the expenditure report contain the following
information:
(1) Total expenditures made during each reporting
period.
(2) Aggregate total of expenditures attributable
to an individual during the reporting period, including the individual's
name.
(3) Aggregate total of expenditures for all
reporting periods during the same calendar year.
(4) Aggregate total of expenditures attributable
to an individual for all reporting periods during the same calendar
year, including the individual's name.
The existing law provided that the aggregate amount or any
per occasion amount attributable to an individual shall not include any
expenditure which is already required to be reported or which is exempted from
reporting. The Act adds public servants, and spouses or minor children of a
legislator/executive branch official to those individuals to which a lobbyist
has to report and attribute any expenditures, however the name of the spouse or
child must not be included on the report.
The board shall establish and maintain access to a
searchable electronic database available to the public via the Internet and
requires lobbyist filings to be filed in an electronic format for use with such
electronic database.
Under the Act, the board is required, if it determines
that a person has filed a registration or report that is inaccurate or
incomplete, to mail by certified mail a notice of delinquency informing the
person that the inaccuracy must be corrected or the missing information provided
no later than 14 business days after receipt of the notice of delinquency. If
the person corrects the inaccuracy or provides the missing information prior to
the deadline, no penalties shall be assessed against the person but if such
person should fail to correct the inaccuracy or provide the missing information
by the deadline shall be subject to penalties provided by law.
Any person who with knowledge of its falsity files a
registration or report that contains a false statement or false representation
of a material fact shall be made subject by the board to the civil penalties as
provided in the Code of Governmental Ethics or referred by the board to the
appropriate district attorney for prosecution pursuant to R.S. 14:133 (filing or
maintaining false public records), or both. With respect to legislative
lobbying, the board is required to notify the chief clerical officer of each
house of the legislature of a violation.
The Act provides an immediate family member of a
legislator may register as a lobbyist or lobbying provided the following:
1. The immediate family member was a registered
lobbyist as provided in law for at least one year prior to becoming an
immediate family member of the legislator or at least one year prior to
the legislator's initial election to the legislature.
2. The immediate family member shall not lobby the
legislator as provided in law or communicate with any public employee
assigned to the district office of the legislator, with any public
employee whose primary duty is to assist the individual legislator, or
if the legislator is a committee chairman, with any public employee
assigned to the committee of which the legislator is chairman concerning
any matter which may be the subject of action by the legislature.
The Act provides that the first required monthly
expenditure report must be filed not later than February 15, 2009, and must
include information for the month of January, 2009. It further requires that not
later than February 15, 2009, each lobbyist must file an expenditure report for
the period from July 1, 2008 through December 31, 2008 prior to January 1, 2009.
ADMINISTRATION DIVISION
With access to state government the buzz word, Senate
Bill 37 by Senator Chaisson (Act 20), requires the commissioner of
administration to establish and maintain a website to post reports of state
spending. It further requires that the reports include the nature and amount of
appropriations for the executive branch of state government contained in the
General Appropriation Act and other acts for each budget unit, annual salaries
and total compensation of statewide elected officials and cabinet-level
positions in the executive branch of state government, and the total number in
the table of organization for each budget unit.
The commissioner shall maintain on the website a monthly
report of spending by each such budget unit and requires her to consult with the
Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget in the development of the
specifications for the database used for the website.
Moreover, each secretary or executive head of each state
office, department, board, commission, or institution is required to cooperate
fully with the commissioner of administration in executing the purposes and
provisions of Act. The commissioner is required to proceed with establishment of
the website in the most expeditious manner possible and requires that reports
posted on the website shall be complete and inclusive of all budget units no
later than Jan. 1, 2009.
2008 2ND EXTRAORDINARY SESSION
TAX/INCOME/PERSONAL
In an effort to help parents deal with the cost of
educating of their children, Senate Bill 5 by Senator Marionneaux (Act 8),
authorizes a deduction from tax table income for the sum of amounts paid or
incurred during the taxable year for tuition and fees required for a student's
enrollment in a nonpublic elementary or secondary school which complies with the
criteria set forth in Brumfield v. Dodd and Section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code or to any public elementary or secondary laboratory
schools operated by a public college or university. The deduction cannot exceed
the total taxable income of the taxpayer.
The Act limits the deduction for schools to 50% of the
actual amount of tuition and fees paid by the taxpayer per child or $5,000 per
child, whichever is less.
The term "tuition" is defined as funds paid to any
laboratory and nonpublic elementary and secondary schools which include the
following:
(1) The purchase of school uniforms required by
schools for general day-to-day use.
(2) The purchase of textbooks, curricula, or other
instructional materials required by schools.
(3) The purchase of school supplies required by
schools.
A deduction for 50% amounts paid or incurred during a tax
year by a taxpayer for textbooks and curricula for home-schooled students,
limited to $5,000 per child is authorized, however the deduction cannot exceed
the total taxable income of the individual.
The Act authorizes a deduction for certain educational
expenses for a quality public education equal to 50% of the actual amount paid
during a tax year by a taxpayer per student or $5,000, whichever is less, for
the purchase of school uniforms for general day-to-day use, textbooks,
curricula, instructional materials, or the purchase of school supplies, all as
required by the school. It further provides that the amount of the deduction
shall not exceed the total taxable income of the taxpayer.
TAX/SALES
To entice industry to locate in the state, Senate Bill
56 by Senator Marionneaux (Act 12), phases in a state sales and use tax
exclusion for the purchase, use, lease, or rental of certain machinery and
equipment used by certain manufacturers in manufacturing for agricultural
purposes or in the actual manufacturing process of an item of tangible personal
property.
The Act phases in a state sales and use tax exclusion for
the purchase, use, lease, or rental of certain machinery and equipment used by
certain manufacturers in manufacturing for agricultural purposes or in the
actual manufacturing process of an item of tangible personal property, and
specifically includes rubber tired farm tractors, cane harvesters, cane loaders,
cotton pickers, combines, haybalers, attachments and sprayers, clippers,
cultivators, discs, plows, and spreaders.
The Act accelerates the phase-in by one year, by making
the purchase, use, lease, or rental of manufacturing machinery and equipment
beginning 7/1/09 and thereafter tax free.
Existing law required the receipt of a tax exclusion
certificate from the Department of Revenue certifying that the person is a
manufacturer before the machinery or equipment can be purchased, used, leased,
or rented without payment of the state sales tax. Under the Act, existing law is
retained and further provides that the department's manufacturer's exemption
certificate shall serve as a substitute for the sales tax exemption for certain
farm equipment.
FUNDS/FUNDING
Hoping to save or vanishing coastline, House Bill 6 by
Representative Dove (Act 3), authorizes and directs the state treasurer to
deposit $300 million into the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund. The money
will be transferred from the state general fund for FY 2007-2008, to be
comprised wholly of nonrecurring revenues out of the state general fund for FY
2006-2007, as recognized by the Revenue Estimating Conference.
TAX/SALE-USE, STATE
Furthering the attempt to attract and keep industry,
House Bill 1 by Representative Greene (Act 1), reduces the sales and use tax
for sales of electricity and natural gas from 3.3% to 2.3% for all
taxable periods beginning on or after July 1, 2008. After June 30, 2009, there
will be no state sales and use tax on such items. It further reduces the sales
and use tax for sales of steam and water from 3.8% to 2.8% for all
taxable periods beginning on or after July 1, 2008. After June 30, 2009, there
will be no state sales and use tax on such items.
The Act provides for a state sales and use tax exclusion
for all purchases of fuels or gas, including but not limited to butane and
propane.
2008 REGULAR SESSION
APPOINTED OFFICIALS
Attempting to allow for more participation by the public,
Senate Bill 210 by Senator Marionneaux (Act 528), amends existing law
that requires the governor to submit persons appointed to public office to the
Senate for confirmation, whether to a board, commission, committee, or district,
or to an executive or other office to fill an initial or succeeding full term of
office or the unexpired portion of a term in the executive branch of state
government or in a local governmental entity. Existing law further requires
those appointments to public office made by a public official other than the
governor, whether to a board, commission, committee, or district, or to an
executive or other office, and whether to fill an initial or succeeding full
term of office or the unexpired portion of a term of office, to be submitted to
the Senate for confirmation if required by the constitution or statute.
The Act retains existing law but provides that all
appointees to a board, commission, committee, or district requiring Senate
confirmation be reconfirmed at the beginning of each legislative term or at the
expiration of their appointed term of office if they continue to serve because
no successor has been appointed. It further provides that all such appointments
shall be completed and submitted to the Senate for confirmation no later than
the last legislative day of the second regularly scheduled legislative session.
Those appointments that are not reconfirmed expire at the end of the regular
session, and a vacancy is created for that position and prohibits that appointee
from being appointed to the same office during a recess of the legislature.
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY DEPT
Making transaction with state government easier, Senate
Bill 321 by Senator Herbert (Act 119), amends existing law that provides
authority to the Department of Revenue and the Department of Transportation and
Development to accept credit cards for payment of obligations owed to the state
through use of a third-party processor to collect a convenience fee to
adequately cover transaction fees.
The Act retains the existing law and allows the Department
of Environmental Quality to accept credit cards for payment of obligations owed
to the state through use of a third-party processor to collect a convenience fee
to adequately cover transaction fees.
Governmental Organization
Furthering the Cajun culture, Senate Bill 180 by
Senator Michot (Act 760) amends existing law that places the Council for the
Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL) in the Department of Education.
The Act transfers CODOFIL from the Department of
Education to the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.
HOMELAND SECURITY
Addressing the state's response to natural and manmade
disasters, Senate Bill 788 by Senator Walsworth (Act 797), provides for a
governing structure within the Governor's Office of Homeland Security.
The Act provides for the following terms:
"First responders" means the first arriving organized
responders with the capability and mission to contain, mitigate, and resolve the
emergency at hand.
"Interoperability" means the ability of two or more
systems or their components to exchange information and to use the information
exchanged.
"Interoperability for public safety" means the ability for
emergency safety agencies and public services to talk to one another via
communications systems and share information with one another accurately, on
demand, in real time, when needed, and when authorized, regardless of the device
used.
"Statewide Interoperability Plan" means short-term and
long-term statewide plans for interoperability for communications and
information sharing needed during an emergency adopted by the State Unified
Command Group.
"Statewide Interoperability Plan for First Responders"
means a statewide shared communications system for first responders with the
ability to transport and receive voice, data, image and video information
adopted by the Interoperability Subcommittee.
"State Unified Command Group" or (UCG) means the group
which is established by Executive Order of the governor to bring senior
officials within the governor's office and cabinet secretaries or their
designees together with a common objective of effectively managing an incident
ensuring that regardless of the number of agencies or jurisdictions involved in
which all decisions will be based upon mutually agreed upon objectives.
The Act creates the office of interoperability headed by
an assistant deputy director of interoperability who shall be in the
unclassified service. The assistant deputy director may delegate authority to
such designees or to any governmental body as the assistant deputy director may
deem appropriate within the limitations of state and federal laws, rules, and
regulations. The office of interoperability is established within the Governor's
Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and shall have the
authority to oversee, direct, and manage interoperability programs and efforts
identified in the Statewide Communication Interoperability Plan and the
Statewide Shared Communications System for First Responders in coordination with
local, state, and federal officials. The office shall address critical
interoperability issues relating to public safety and emergency response,
including communications, spectrum, networks, equipment, training, and other
areas as needs are identified.
The assistant deputy director of interoperability will
work in conjunction with the UCG and Interoperability Subcommittee to develop,
implement, and maintain a secure interagency communication across jurisdictional
and geographic boundaries to enable end users to access authorized information
when and how they need it as identified in the Statewide Communication
Interoperability Plan and Statewide Shared Communications System for First
Responders.
The Act provides for the UCG and shall be composed of the
members established by Executive Order of the governor. The UCG is the strategic
decision making body for emergencies in the state with the governor serving as
the unified commander and shall meet quarterly meetings during times other than
a state declared emergency and at such times as the chairman deems necessary,
beginning September, 2008. The UCG may establish subcommittees as it deems
advisable and feasible, but only the UCG may take official action. The bill
establishes the following committees and their membership:
"Interoperability Subcommittee" composed of the following
members:
(1) Assistant Deputy Director of Interoperability,
or his designee.
(2) Commissioner of administration, or his
designee.
(3) Adjutant General of the Louisiana National
Guard, or his designee.
(4) President of the Louisiana Sheriff's
Association, Inc., or his designee.
(5) President of the Louisiana Association of
Chiefs of Police, Inc., or his designee.
(6) President of the Louisiana Fire Chief's
Association, or his designee.
(7) Chair of the Regional Parish Homeland Security
and Emergency Preparedness Directors Committee, or his designee.
(8) The deputy secretary of the Department of
Public Safety and Corrections, public safety services, or his designee.
(9) Executive director of the governor's Office of
Indian Affairs, or his designee.
(10) A representative of the Association of Public
Safety Communications Officials.
(11) A representative of the Louisiana Ambulance
Alliance.
"First Responders Subcommittee" composed of the following
members:
(1) President of the Louisiana Sheriff's
Association, Inc., or his designee.
(2) President of the Association of Chiefs of
Police, Inc., or his designee.
(3) President of the Louisiana Fire Chief's
Association, or his designee.
(4) Chair of the Regional Parish Homeland Security
and Emergency Prepared Directors Committee, or his designee.
(5) The executive director of the Governor's
Office of Indian Affairs, or his designee.
(6) The deputy secretary of the Department of
Public Safety and Corrections, public safety services, or his designee.
(7) The director of the Governor's Office of
Homeland Security and Preparedness, or his designee.
(8) A representative of the Association of Public
Safety Communications Officials.
"Regional Parish OEP Directors Subcommittee" composed of
the following members:
(1) Each regional parish office of emergency
preparedness directors, or his designee.
(2) The director of the Governor's Office of
Homeland Security and Preparedness, or his designee.
The Act provides that the UCG must establish three
permanent subcommittees, in addition to and any other subcommittees deemed
feasible to implement the statewide interoperability plan. The executive
director of the Governor's Office of Indian Affairs, and a representative of the
Assoc. of Public Safety Communications Officials and added as members of the
interoperability subcommittee. The subcommittee may make recommendations to the
UCG, but have no authority to change any plans. The UCG may make recommendations
to the interoperability subcommittee on plans for first responders, but will
have no authority to change the system.
