HLS 23RS-2130 ORIGINAL
2023 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 649 (Substitute for House Bill No. 482 by Representative Echols)
BY REPRESENTATIVE ECHOLS
Prefiled pursuant to Article III, Section 2(A)(4)(b)(i) of the Constitution of Louisiana.
HIGHWAYS: Provides for a Louisiana Music Trail and related programs
1 AN ACT
2To enact R.S. 36:209(D)(4) and Part V of Chapter 9 of Title 56 of the Louisiana Revised
3 Statutes of 1950, to be comprised of R.S. 56:1950.21 through 1950.26, relative to the
4 Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism; to provide for the Louisiana Music
5 Trail; to create the Louisiana Music Trail Commission and to provide for its powers
6 and duties; to provide for programs to promote the trail; to provide for
7 responsibilities of the office of cultural development; to require reports; and to
8 provide for related matters.
9Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
10 Section 1. Part V of Chapter 9 of Title 56 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950,
11to be comprised of R.S. 56:1950.21 through 1950.26, is hereby enacted to read as follows:
12 PART V. LOUISIANA MUSIC TRAIL
13 §1950.21. Purpose
14 The purpose of the Louisiana Music Trail is to commemorate and to promote
15 awareness and encourage enjoyment of the stories, biographies, and points of interest
16 in blues, rock and roll, country, zydeco, and gospel throughout northeast Louisiana.
17 §1950.22. Louisiana Music Trail
18 A.(1) The Louisiana Music Trail means U.S. Highway 425 from Mer Rouge,
19 in Morehouse Parish, to its intersection with U.S. Highway 65 in Concordia Parish
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1 and U.S. Highway 65 from its intersection with U.S. Highway 425 to the state border
2 with Arkansas in East Carroll Parish.
3 (2) The U.S. Highway 425 portion of the Louisiana Music Trail is hereby
4 designated as the Jazz 'n' Blues Highway and the U.S. Highway 65 portion of the
5 Louisiana Music Trail is hereby designated as the Cajun 'n' Zydeco Highway.
6 B. The Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism may establish a
7 process and criteria for adding routes to the Louisiana Music Trail. Any parish or
8 municipality may request that a specified segment of a state or U.S. highway be
9 included in the trail.
10 §1950.23. Louisiana Music Trail Commission; creation; membership
11 A. There is hereby created the Louisiana Music Trail Commission within the
12 office of cultural development.
13 B. The commission shall be composed of seven members as follows:
14 (1) The assistant secretary of the office of cultural development or his
15 designee.
16 (2) The director of byways and trails, office of tourism, or his designee.
17 (3) The governor shall appoint five members who shall serve at the pleasure
18 of the governor. Such members shall be residents of five different parishes through
19 which the Louisiana Music Trail passes. Two shall have a bachelor's degree or
20 professional experience in the field of music and three shall have a bachelor's degree
21 or professional experience in art, history, or tourism.
22 (4) Members of the commission shall serve without compensation for their
23 service but may receive expense reimbursement.
24 C.(1) The office of cultural development shall provide a meeting space and
25 staffing for the commission.
26 (2) The Louisiana Music Trail Commission shall meet as often as necessary
27 to perform its duties under this Part but not less than quarterly.
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1 (3) The assistant secretary of the office of cultural development of his
2 designee shall call the first meeting of the commission, and the commission shall
3 elect a chairman at its first meeting.
4 (4) The commission shall adopt bylaws for the governance of its affairs.
5 (5) Four members of the commission constitute a quorum for the transaction
6 of business.
7 §1950.24. Duties of the commission; Louisiana Music Trail programs
8 A. The Louisiana Music Trail Commission shall establish and administer the
9 following Louisiana Music Trail programs:
10 (1) A tourism program based on music projects that focus on highlighting
11 music stories and related dynamics on the designated music highways.
12 (2) A signage program that captures the stories, biographies, and points of
13 interest in blues, rock and roll, jazz, rockabilly, soul, hip hop, opera, country, zydeco,
14 and gospel music throughout Louisiana.
15 B. The office of cultural development and the byways and trails director
16 shall provide assistance to the commission in establishing and administering the
17 programs.
18 C. The commission shall maintain information about federal and state grant
19 opportunities to encourage cities and parishes to develop exhibits related to the
20 musical heritage of the city or parish.
21 D. The office of cultural development shall promulgates rules necessary to
22 implement the Louisiana Music Trail programs created under this Section, including
23 rules that provide for the payment of qualified expenses for a music project.
24 E. The commission may accept, receive, and use grants, monies, equipment,
25 material, services, and immovable and movable property donated, bequeathed, or
26 devised for any purpose relating to the activities of the commission and not expressly
27 designated for any other agency.
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1 §1950.25 Biennial report
2 A. The Louisiana Music Trail Commission shall submit a report by
3 December thirty-first of each even-numbered year to the governor and the
4 legislature.
5 B. The report required by this Section shall include the following:
6 (1) The commission's goals for increasing the number of music projects and
7 signage over the next biennium.
8 (2) The economic development opportunities the commission will focus on
9 over the next biennium.
10 (3) The qualified expenses approved by the commission during the biennium
11 for which the report is being made, including the following:
12 (a) The name of the person who applied for approval of qualified expenses
13 for a music project.
14 (b) A description of the music project for which the qualified expenses were
15 approved.
16 (c) The location of the music project for which the qualified expenses were
17 approved.
18 §1950.26. Signage; official state map designation; official logo
19 A. The Department of Transportation and Development shall erect
20 appropriate signs along the route of those highways or sections of highways
21 designated in or pursuant to this Part, indicating that these highways or sections of
22 highways have been designated as the Louisiana Music Trail.
23 B. The Department of Transportation and Development may identify all
24 highways designated as the Louisiana Music Trail on any official state highway
25 maps prepared and distributed by the department.
26 C. The Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism shall develop the
27 official logo of the Louisiana Music Trail, and the logo shall be used as the logo to
28 identify the routes designated as the Louisiana Music Trail. The logo shall be used
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1 on appropriate signage and official state highways maps to indicate those routes
2 designated as the Louisiana Music Trail.
3 Section 2. R.S. 36:209(D)(4) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
4 §209. Transfer of boards, commissions, departments, and agencies to Department
5 of Culture, Recreation and Tourism
6 * * *
7 D. The following agencies are hereby placed within the Department of
8 Culture, Recreation and Tourism and shall exercise and perform their powers, duties,
9 functions, and responsibilities in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 36:802:
10 * * *
11 (4) The Louisiana Music Trail Commission (R.S. 56:1950.23).
12 * * *
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)]
HB 649 Original 2023 Regular Session Echols
Abstract: Provides for a La. Music Trail.
Proposed law creates the La. Music Trail, comprised of specified U.S. highways and
additional highways as approved by the Dept. of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.
Proposed law creates the La. Music Trail Commission, which shall establish and administer:
(1)A tourism program based on music projects that focus on highlighting music stories
and related dynamics on the designated music highways.
(2)A signage program that captures the stories, biographies, and points of interest in
blues, rock and roll, jazz, rockabilly, soul, hip hop, opera, country, zydeco, and
gospel music throughout Louisiana.
Proposed law provides that the commission is composed of the assistant secretary of the
office of cultural development, the byways and trails director, and five members appointed
by the governor.
Proposed law provides that the office of cultural development shall promulgates rules
necessary to implement the La. Music Trail programs, including rules that provide for the
payment of qualified expenses for a music project. Authorizes the commission to accept,
receive, and use funds, services, and other property donated, bequeathed, or devised for any
purpose relating to its activities.
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Proposed law requires the commission to submit a report by Dec. 31st of each even-
numbered year to the governor and the legislature. Requires that the report include:
(1)The commission's goals for increasing the number of music projects and signage
over the next biennium.
(2)The economic development opportunities the commission will focus on over the next
biennium.
(3)The qualified expenses approved by the commission during the biennium for which
the report is being made.
Proposed law requires the Dept. of Transportation and Development to erect appropriate
signs along the La. Music Trail and authorizes the department to identify designated
highways on any official state highway maps. Requires the Dept. of Culture, Recreation and
Tourism to develop the official logo.
(Adds R.S 36:209(D)(4) and R.S. 56:1950.21-1950.26)
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