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2016 Regular Session
SENATE BILL NO. 345
BY SENATOR WARD
WILDLIFE/FISHERIES DEPT. Establishes the Feral Hog Task Force. (8/1/16)
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 36:610(B)(13) and R.S. 56:144, relative to the Feral Hog Task Force; to
3 establish the Feral Hog Task Force; to provide for its membership; to provide for its
4 powers, duties, responsibilities, and voting requirements; to provide for open
5 meetings and public records; to provide terms, conditions, requirements, and
6 procedures; and to provide for related matters.
7 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. R.S. 36:610(B)(13) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
9 §610. Transfer of agencies and functions to Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
10 * * *
11 B. The following agencies, as defined in R.S. 36:3, are transferred to and
12 hereinafter shall be within the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, as provided in
13 R.S. 36:802.
14 * * *
15 (13) The Feral Hog Task Force (R.S. 56:144)
16 * * *
17 Section 2. R.S. 56:144 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
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words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SB NO. 345
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1 §144. Feral Hog Task Force
2 A. There is hereby established the Feral Hog Task Force to study and
3 monitor the impact of feral hogs and to make recommendations to the Wildlife
4 and Fisheries Commission, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and other
5 state agencies for controlling the feral hog population.
6 B. The task force shall be composed as follows:
7 (1) The governor or his designee.
8 (2) The secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries or his
9 designee.
10 (3) The commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry or
11 his designee.
12 (4) The secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals or his
13 designee.
14 (5) The vice president for agriculture for the Louisiana State University
15 System or his designee.
16 (6) The dean of the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary
17 Medicine or his designee.
18 (7) One member appointed by the governor from a list of three nominees
19 submitted by Louisiana Farm Bureau.
20 (8) One member appointed by the governor from a list of three nominees
21 submitted by the Association of Levee Boards of Louisiana, Inc.
22 (9) One member appointed by the governor from a list of three nominees
23 submitted by the Louisiana Forestry Association.
24 (10) One member appointed by the governor from a list of three
25 nominees submitted by the Louisiana Landowners Association, Inc.
26 (11) One member appointed by the governor from a list of three
27 nominees submitted by the Louisiana Association of Professional Biologists -
28 Louisiana Chapter of The Wildlife Society.
29 C. The members appointed pursuant to the provisions of Paragraphs
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1 (B)(l) through (4) of this Section shall be nonvoting members. In addition, they
2 shall not be considered members of the task force for determination of the
3 number of members necessary for a quorum and for establishing the presence
4 of a quorum.
5 D. The task force shall adopt bylaws under which it shall operate, and
6 four voting members of the task force shall constitute a quorum sufficient to
7 conduct meetings and business of the task force. The governor shall appoint the
8 chairman of the task force for a period of one year, and thereafter the task force
9 shall elect a chairman from its membership. The members of the task force
10 shall serve without compensation; however, the task force may receive the same
11 reimbursement of travel expenses for attending the meetings as is allowed for
12 other state employees' travel.
13 E. The task force is hereby charged with responsibility to do the
14 following:
15 (1) Provide an annual estimate of the population of feral hogs in the
16 state.
17 (2) Analyze the financial impact of feral hogs.
18 (3) Identify human health impacts from increasing population of feral
19 hogs in Louisiana, include reporting of all diseases carried by feral hogs that
20 can be transferred to humans, wildlife, and domesticated animals.
21 (4) Identify public health needs and education and outreach
22 opportunities to address spread of disease.
23 (5) Coordinate efforts to control and reduce the population of feral hogs,
24 including private, local, state, and federal efforts.
25 (6) Assess current control methods and effectiveness in population
26 control.
27 (7) Identify alternative methods and potential for effectiveness in feral
28 hog population control.
29 (8) Assist in developing new methods of control.
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1 (9) Recommend programs needed and funding mechanisms.
2 (10) Produce recommendations for control of transport and tracking of
3 movement.
4 (11) Recommend regulations necessary to achieve goals of population
5 control and reduction.
6 (12) Perform any acts deemed necessary and proper to carry out its
7 duties and responsibilities.
8 F. Meetings of the task force shall be subject to laws regarding open
9 meetings, R.S. 42:11 et seq., and records of the task force shall be subject to
10 laws regarding public records, R.S. 44:1 et seq.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by J. W. Wiley.
DIGEST
SB 345 Engrossed 2016 Regular Session Ward
Proposed law establishes the Feral Hog Task Force within the Dept. of Wildlife and
Fisheries.
Proposed law provides for its membership, voting requirements and responsibilities.
Proposed law requires the task force to be subject to open meetings laws and public records
laws.
Effective August 1, 2016.
(Adds R.S. 36:610(B)(13) and R.S. 56:144)
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.