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Elected Officials

Attorney General

• Provided a restoration of funding ($124,800) and enhanced funding ($230,000) for the Community Living Ombudsman Program in the Civil Law Program.

Lieutenant Governor

• The budget of the Louisiana Retirement Development Commission included an additional $150,000 for marketing and advertising expenses. This funding represents the first year of funding for such activities.
    
• The budget was reduced by $500,000 in statutorily dedicated funds formerly passed through this agency to the New Orleans Visitor and Information Center. Act 73 of the First Extraordinary Session of 2002 redirected a one-percent hotel occupancy tax in Orleans Parish from tourism and economic development purposes to fund the contractual obligations of the state with respect to professional football and basketball team incentive agreements.

Commissioner of Agriculture

• The budget provides $1.6 million from dedications of the Louisiana Agricultural Finance Authority Fund for payment of debt service, infrastructure construction and improvements to rail systems and facilities related to the transportation of sugar cane. Of this amount, $600,000 has been allocated for improvement of facilities and equipment of the rail system.
   
• The amount of $945,000 was provided from the Louisiana Agricultural Finance Authority Fund (LAFA) for debt service related to the Boll Weevil Eradication Program. This additional appropriation brings total funding from this source to $8 million for the debt service on this program.
   
• In addition to the LAFA funds provided for debt service, the amount of $34.2 million was provided toward the program from the Boll Weevil Eradication Fund. The Boll Weevil Eradication Program provides for various activities, such as spraying and trapping, to eliminate the boll weevil from agricultural interests. Since inception in FY98, the state has expended $120 million on the Boll Weevil Eradication Program.

Secretary of State

• To meet the costs of three statewide elections in FY 02-03, the budget was increased by $1.6 million.
   
• Nominal federal funding was appropriated to the Secretary of State in the event that federal election reform materializes during the fiscal year. If these funds materialize, the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget has the authority to incorporate them into the proper budget.

Commissioner of Elections

• To meet the costs of three statewide elections in FY 02-03, the budget was increased by $5.1 million.
   
• Restored $205,718 for the Outreach Program in the Department of Elections.
   
• Nominal federal funding was appropriated to the Commissioner of Elections in the event that federal election reform materializes during the fiscal year. If these funds materialize, the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget has the authority to incorporate them into the proper budget.