HLS 12RS-3255 ORIGINAL
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Regular Session, 2012
HOUSE STUDY REQUEST NO. 4
BY REPRESENTATIVE BILLIOT
ENVIRONMENT/LITTERING: Requests the House Committee on Natural Resources and
Environment to study litter abatement
A STUDY REQUEST1
To the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment to study litter abatement2
and to report its findings to the House of Representatives prior to the convening of3
the 2013 Regular Session of the Legislature of Louisiana.4
WHEREAS, litter is a major problem in this state that negatively affects our5
environment, our communities, and, both directly and indirectly, our economy; and6
WHEREAS, litter impacts the environment through habitat destruction in marine and7
aquatic ecosystems and to pet and wildlife injury and death due to litter entanglement,8
toxicity, and ingestion; and9
WHEREAS, litter is a breeding ground for vermin and disease-causing bacteria; and10
WHEREAS, litter impacts the public safety in ways ranging from roadside fires11
caused by discarded cigarettes to neighborhoods that are heavily littered experience more12
vandalism and other crime; and13
WHEREAS, according to a recent study commissioned by Keep Louisiana Beautiful,14
the direct economic impact of paying to have litter collected and disposed costs local and15
state government forty million dollars per year; and16
WHEREAS, this forty-million-dollar-per-year price tag is in addition to other direct17
costs incurred for enforcing litter laws and developing programs and advertisements18
encouraging and educating Louisiana citizens on the dangers of litter and the indirect19
economic impacts, including real estate devaluation, loss of new industry and business, and20
loss of tourism and ecotourism; and 21 HLS 12RS-3255 ORIGINAL
HSR NO. 4
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WHEREAS, in the committee debate of House Bill No. 142 of the 2012 Regular1
Session of the Legislature by Representative Billiot which proposed to provide for a bounty2
on bags of collected litter from organized cleanups, members expressed interest in3
examining the totality of the litter problem and other approaches to addressing the issue.4
THEREFORE, the House of Representatives of the Legislature of Louisiana requests5
the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment to study litter abatement and6
to report its findings to the House of Representatives prior to the convening of the 20137
Regular Session of the Legislature of Louisiana.8
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
Billiot HSR No. 4
Requests the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment to study litter
abatement and to report its findings to the House of Representatives prior to the convening
of the 2013 R.S.