ENROLLED
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Regular Session, 2010
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 154
BY REPRESENTATIVE LOPINTO AND SENATORS ADLEY, ALARIO, AMEDEE,
APPEL, BROOME, CHABERT, CHAISSON, CHEEK, CLAITOR, CROWE,
DONAHUE, DORSEY, DUPL ESSIS, ERDEY, B. GAUTREAUX, N.
GAUTREAUX, GUILLORY, HEBERT, HEITMEIER, JACKSON, KOSTELKA,
LAFLEUR, LONG, MARIONNEAUX, MARTINY, MCPHERSON, MICHOT,
MORRELL, MORRISH, MOUNT, MURRAY, NEVERS, PETERSON, QUINN,
RISER, SHAW, SMITH, THOMPSON, AND WALSWORTH
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To commend Jim Funk, president and chief executive officer of the Louisiana Restaurant
Association.
WHEREAS, it is appropriate to commend Jim Funk for his years of dedicated and
highly productive service to the Louisiana Restaurant Association and to recognize him as
part of the Louisiana Restaurant Association's Lobby Day at the Louisiana State Capitol on
Monday, May 10, 2010; and
WHEREAS, a native of Arkansas, Mr. Funk moved to the Greater New Orleans area
in 1981 to serve as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Louisiana Restaurant
Association (LRA); and
WHEREAS, due to his extensive experience in the banking, government, and
association management sectors, Mr. Funk was instrumental in the growth of the LRA,
increasing its membership from three hundred to seven thousand five hundred and
significantly elevating its legislative status during the past thirty years; and
WHEREAS, in his first year as president and CEO, Mr. Funk led the effort to
establish the LRA Self Insurer's Fund for Workers' Compensation, which became a reality
in January of 1982; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Funk also serves as the president and CEO of the LRA Self
Insurer's Fund for Workers' Compensation, which insures more than two thousand seven
hundred restaurants and hotels in the state with more than nineteen million dollars in
annualized premiums and an investment portfolio in excess of fifty million dollars; and ENROLLEDHCR NO. 154
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WHEREAS, today, the LRA Self Insurer's Fund for Workers' Compensation is one
of the most successful funds of its type in the nation; and
WHEREAS, during the last thirty years, Mr. Funk has served as the chief lobbyist
for the LRA and is the secretary and treasurer of the LRA Hospitality Political Action
Committee, which was formed during his first year and is one of the largest political action
committees in the state; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Funk has achieved tremendous success in leading efforts to pass
several pieces of landmark legislation, including the dedication of 0.003 percent of the state's
sales tax for out-of-state tourism promotion in 1990; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Funk was honored in 1991 by the Louisiana Tourism Development
Commission for spearheading efforts to pass this legislation, which was the first of its kind
in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Funk has also been involved in legislative reform of workers'
compensation and health regulations, and he led the effort in 1985 to repeal the five percent
retail and beverage tax; and
WHEREAS, in 1986, Mr. Funk played a significant role in the passage of the Liquor
Liability Reform Act, which placed the responsibility of alcohol consumption on the
consumer, and this law has saved the restaurant industry tens of millions of dollars in
insurance premiums; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Funk has also been instrumental in the growth of the Louisiana
Foodservice EXPO, the largest industry tradeshow in the Gulf South, from one hundred
thirty exhibiting companies to four hundred since 1981 with more than fifteen thousand
attendees at its peak in 2005 prior to Hurricane Katrina; and
WHEREAS, in 1995, Mr. Funk received the prestigious University of New Orleans
School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Administration's Hospitality Leadership Award,
and in 2002, he received the Ella Brennan Savior Faire Award from the American Culinary
Federation of New Orleans; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Funk was inducted into the New Orleans Riverside Walk of Fame
for Excellence in Association Management in 2006 and the National Restaurant Association
Educational Foundation College of Diplomates in 2007; and ENROLLEDHCR NO. 154
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WHEREAS, in 2008, Mr. Funk was presented with the inaugural Will Mangham
Louisiana Tourism Lifetime Achievement Award from the Louisiana Travel Promotion
Association for being widely regarded as a prominent spokesperson and advocate for the
tourism industry in the state; and
WHEREAS, this past February, Politics magazine named Mr. Funk one of the one
hundred most important opinion brokers in Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, in addition to his work with the LRA, Mr. Funk has served on numerous
boards and commissions throughout the years, including the Louisiana Unemployment
Compensation Reform Task Force and the Louisiana Workers' Compensation Reform Task
Force, and in 2004, he was appointed by the governor to serve on the Louisiana Task Force
on Workforce Competitiveness; and
WHEREAS, in 1996, Mr. Funk was instrumental in founding the LRA Education
Foundation, a 501c(3) organization established to promote the restaurant industry as a career
choice, provide professional development, and support state-approved foodservice programs;
and
WHEREAS, since its inception, the LRA Education Foundation has trained more
than twenty-two thousand people in safe food handling through ServSafe and more than
forty-five thousand people in the responsible service of alcohol through its Louisiana's BEST
training course; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Funk is a proponent for culinary education and a supporter of the
LRA Education Foundation ProStart Program, a two-year culinary arts and restaurant
management curriculum in fifty Louisiana high schools with one thousand three hundred
juniors and seniors enrolled; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Funk has also served with great distinction as past president of
several organizations, including the International Society of Restaurant Association
Executives, the Louisiana Society of Association Executives, and the Louisiana Association
of Self Insured Employers; and
WHEREAS, under his exceptional leadership, the LRA was named one of the Best
Places to Work in 2007 and 2008 by the New Orleans CityBusiness; and
WHEREAS, Jim Funk merits a special measure of commendation for his outstanding
service to the Louisiana Restaurant Association since 1981. ENROLLEDHCR NO. 154
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THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
commend Jim Funk, president and chief executive officer of the Louisiana Restaurant
Association, does hereby recognize him as part of the Louisiana Restaurant Association's
Lobby Day at the Louisiana State Capitol on Monday, May 10, 2010, does hereby record for
posterity his extraordinary achievements and singular contributions to the restaurant and
tourism industries in the state, and does hereby extend enduring appreciation for the
tremendous pride and honor that he brings to his family, friends, and community, the
Louisiana Restaurant Association, the city of New Orleans, and the state of Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
to Jim Funk, president and chief executive officer of the Louisiana Restaurant Association.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE