HLS 21RS-1418 ORIGINAL
2021 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 46
BY REPRESENTATIVE MINCEY
FLOODING/CONTROL: Urges and requests the governor's executive assistant for coastal
activities to coordinate a study among state agencies and make recommendations to
the governor and the legislature relative to management of the Amite River Basin
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To urge and request the governor's executive assistant for coastal activities to coordinate a
3 study among state agencies and make recommendations to the governor and the
4 legislature relative to management of the Amite River Basin, including areas
5 authorized under the federal Amite River and Tributaries Project.
6 WHEREAS, the governor's executive assistant for coastal activities (executive
7assistant) is authorized to coordinate the powers, duties, functions, and responsibilities of
8any state agency relative to integrated coastal protection, including hurricane protection,
9flood control, and wetlands conservation and restoration, and may seek and utilize the
10assistance of personnel from the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and
11any state department or agency to carry out his duties, functions, and responsibilities as set
12forth in R.S. 49:214.3.1; and
13 WHEREAS, the executive assistant also acts as the chairman of the Coastal
14Protection and Restoration Authority Board (CPRA Board) which directs policy regarding
15integrated coastal protection with hurricane protection, storm damage reduction, flood
16control, and conservation and restoration of the coastal area as a high-priority public policy
17of the state, as authorized and required by Article IX, Section 1 of the Louisiana Constitution
18and R.S. 49:214.1, et seq. and the CPRA is the implementation arm of the CPRA Board; and
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HCR NO. 46
1 WHEREAS, the 2017 Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast identifies
2projects designed to build and maintain land, reduce flood risk to our citizens and
3communities, and provide habitats to support ecosystems that will assist in providing for the
4continued existence of Louisiana's residential, agricultural, energy, and industrial
5development in the coastal area; and
6 WHEREAS, Louisiana is regularly impacted by flooding throughout the state and
7extreme water events have increased in both frequency and magnitude; and
8 WHEREAS, the state of Louisiana is positioned to be a national leader in
9watershed-based floodplain management, working through partnerships among state
10agencies that coordinate and align the actions and objectives of state and local governments,
11federal agencies, institutions of higher education, and private and not-for-profit
12organizations; and
13 WHEREAS, the state of Louisiana is committed to increasing community and
14regional resilience to flooding by managing, mitigating, and adapting to future flood risk;
15and
16 WHEREAS, communities are hydraulically and hydrologically connected within the
17bounds of a watershed and decisions made in one portion of a watershed will impact
18floodplains in other portions of the same watershed; and
19 WHEREAS, flooding after a rain event is not only related to the amount and intensity
20of rainfall received but is also closely tied to land use, as well as policy and infrastructure
21decisions; and
22 WHEREAS, multiple programs designed to mitigate and reduce flood risks are
23managed in different state agencies, local entities, and political subdivisions; and
24 WHEREAS, currently floodplains are impacted by actions and decisions made by
25a wide variety of people and regulatory bodies, including private landowners, municipalities,
26and parish leaders and laws, including zoning, building codes, statewide regulations, and
27federal requirements. Existing practices across varying levels of government do not
28currently provide for the floodplain management that is necessary to properly address
29drainage issues as land is developed, including in the Amite River Basin; and
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HCR NO. 46
1 WHEREAS, the increasing frequency and extent of flood events demands heightened
2levels of coordination, information sharing, and response among state agencies and other
3stakeholders in order to more closely align resources and programs designed to protect
4communities from flooding and manage floodplains and watersheds effectively; and
5 WHEREAS, the widespread disaster caused by the great floods of 2016 revealed how
6susceptible Louisiana's landscape is to flooding, particularly within the Amite River Basin;
7and
8 WHEREAS, building on an early investigation into innovative solutions, Governor
9John Bel Edwards launched the Louisiana Watershed Initiative (LWI), governed by the
10Council on Watershed Management, to reform the state's approach to flood mitigation; and
11 WHEREAS, the LWI is pursuing a holistic approach to watershed management, one
12that goes beyond conventional mitigation measures and incorporates nature-based solutions;
13and
14 WHEREAS, it is important that a system of management be developed for the
15various watersheds in the state of Louisiana; and
16 WHEREAS, the greatest impact of the great floods of 2016 were within the Amite
17River Basin located primarily in the coastal area and it is imperative to move forward with
18management of the Amite River Basin before the next flood event; and
19 WHEREAS, study of management of the Amite River Basin would assist in the
20development of an overall scheme of management for all of the watersheds identified in
21Louisiana by the LWI and assure that management of the Amite River Basin moves forward
22in an accelerated manner such that flood mitigation grant funds resulting from the Great
23Floods of 2016 could be used to implement projects in the watershed expeditiously and
24ahead of the next flood event in an effort to protect the safety and welfare of the citizens
25living and working in the Amite River Basin; and
26 WHEREAS, the executive assistant and the CPRA Board are charged by the
27Legislature with the responsibility for policy relative to the integration of hurricane
28protection, storm damage reduction, flood control, infrastructure, and coastal protection and
29restoration efforts in accordance with the master plan and annual plans and the CPRA is the
30implementation arm of the CPRA Board; and
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HCR NO. 46
1 WHEREAS, since the majority of the Amite River Basin is located in the coastal
2area, the Legislature finds that the executive assistant and the CPRA Board are most suited
3to coordinate the timely completion of a study relative to the management of the Amite
4River Basin and provide recommendations on management of the Amite River Basin to the
5Legislature before the beginning of the 2022 Regular Session.
6 THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby urge
7and request the executive assistant to coordinate a comprehensive assessment and study
8relative to management of the Amite River Basin, including areas authorized under the
9federal Amite River and Tributaries Project.
10 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this comprehensive assessment and study of the
11management of the Amite River Basin shall, at a minimum, include the following:
12 (1) Review of the current management of the Amite River Basin and entities in
13charge of management of the basin.
14 (2) Review of the history of the management of the Amite River Basin on the local,
15state and federal levels, including the federal Amite River and Tributaries Project.
16 (3) Review the history of flood events in the Amite River Basin.
17 (4) Provide an assessment of the historical, existing, and planned hurricane storm
18damage reduction and flood protection and drainage infrastructure projects within the Amite
19River Basin that clearly depicts which communities are protected by that infrastructure given
20hydrologic conditions.
21 (5) Use of the latest and most scientifically-reliable data and technology available.
22 (6) Provide an assessment of which communities are currently providing funding for
23the operations and maintenance of associated flood protection and drainage infrastructure
24in the Amite River Basin and which communities are not.
25 (7) Propose appropriate boundary lines for updating the management of flood
26control and other water resources within the Amite River Basin based on the latest and most
27scientifically-reliable data that is available relating to watersheds and the hydrology of the
28Amite River Basin.
29 (8) Develop overall strategies to promote and maintain the management of the Amite
30River Basin.
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HCR NO. 46
1 (9) Implement, by the CPRA at the direction and coordination of the executive
2assistant and coordination, as necessary, all study efforts with the LWI, the Louisiana
3Department of Transportation and Development, the Louisiana office of community
4development, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, state and local political
5subdivisions and related governmental entities within the Amite River Basin, and any other
6stakeholders identified by the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority or the CPRA
7Board.
8 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the executive assistant shall submit a report of
9its study and recommendations for any statutory, rule, regulation, or policy changes relative
10to management of the Amite River Basin to the governor and the Legislature no later than
11sixty days prior to the 2022 Legislative Session and deliver copies of the report to the
12president of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the Senate Natural
13Resources committee, the Senate Transportation, Highways and Public Works committee,
14the House Natural Resources and Environment committee, the House Transportation,
15Highways and Public Works committee, the Louisiana office of community development,
16the Council on Watershed Management, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and
17Development, the CPRA Board, and the executive director of the Coastal Protection and
18Restoration Authority.
19 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
20governor, the governor's executive assistant for coastal activities, the Coastal Protection and
21Restoration Authority Board, the executive director of the Coastal Protection and Restoration
22Authority, the Louisiana office of community development, the secretary of the Louisiana
23Department of Transportation and Development, and the Council on Watershed
24Management.
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HCR NO. 46
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)]
HCR 46 Original 2021 Regular Session Mincey
Urges and requests the governor's executive assistant for coastal activities to coordinate a
study among state agencies and make recommendations to the governor and the legislature
relative to management of the Amite River Basin, including areas authorized under the
federal Amite River and Tributaries Project, and provide a report to the governor and the
La. Legislature 60 days prior to the opening of the 2022 Regular Session.
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