SLS 15RS-402 ORIGINAL
2015 Regular Session
SENATE BILL NO. 50
BY SENATOR MURRAY
LOCAL AGENCIES. Provides relative to release of obligations of indebtedness by the
Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans. (gov sig)
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 33:4071(F), relative to the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans; to
3 provide relative to the governing authority of the Sewerage and Water Board; to
4 provide for release of obligations of indebtedness; to provide for an effective date;
5 and to provide for related matters.
6 Notice of intention to introduce this Act has been published.
7 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. R.S. 33:4071(F) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
9 PART III. CITY OF NEW ORLEANS
10 §4071. Creation and organization of sewerage and water board
11 * * *
12 F. Notwithstanding any provisions of law to the contrary, the board may
13 adopt rules and procedures authorizing the adjusting, releasing, or
14 extinguishing of any indebtedness from a customer's sewerage and water bill.
15 The rule shall limit the board's compromising authority to appropriate
16 instances in which any of the following occur:
17 (1) Instances of error on the part of the district such as equipment failure
Page 1 of 2
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SB NO. 50
SLS 15RS-402 ORIGINAL
1 or process failure, and in such instances, only to the extent the failure increased
2 the customer's indebtedness.
3 (2) Instances of error not on the part of the customer due to unforseen
4 damage or an extreme weather-related event or mandatory evacuation, and in
5 such instances, only to the extent the situation increased the customer's
6 indebtedness.
7 (3) Instances where the customer is disproportionately impoverished or
8 needy and qualifies for an adjustment, release, or extinguishment pursuant to
9 an established social welfare program of the district.
10 Section 2. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not
11 signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature
12 by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If
13 vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become
14 effective on the day following such approval.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Michael Bell.
DIGEST
SB 50 Original 2015 Regular Session Murray
Present constitution prohibits the funds, credit, property, or things of value of the state or of
any political subdivision from being loaned, pledged, or donated to or for any person,
association, or corporation, public or private. Provides that the donation, loan, or pledge of
public credit is subject to Art. VII, §14 of the 1921 Constitution made statutory by the 1974
Constitution.
Proposed law authorizes the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans to adopt rules and
procedures to adjust, release, or extinguish any indebtedness of an individual's sewerage and
water bill.
Proposed law requires that the rule limit the board's compromising authority to instances
where either the district is at fault or the customer is not at fault or the customer is qualified
under an established program.
Effective upon signature of the governor or lapse of time for gubernatorial action.
(Adds R.S. 33:4071(F))
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.