2006 Louisiana Laws - RS 3:445.2 — Declaration of legislative findings and intent

§445.2.  Declaration of legislative findings and intent

A.  The legislature finds that:

(1)  The distribution and marketing of Louisiana crawfish and crawfish products is a matter of great public interest.

(2)  The present scattered locations and difficulty of access to out-of-state and export markets constitute an economic burden on the state of Louisiana.

(3)  The general lack of modern crawfish packaging, warehousing, distribution, and marketing facilities within the state which can serve large out-of-state markets on a continuing basis contributes to the poor economic condition of all segments of the crawfish industry and the lack of adequate capital available within the industry to correct this situation contributes significantly to this poor economic condition within the industry.

(4)  The development of a modern, consolidated, wholesale crawfish packaging, warehousing, distribution, and marketing facility in Louisiana is in the best interests of the people of this state and such facility would coordinate satisfactorily with domestic and international marketing programs being developed by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and would otherwise facilitate the sale of Louisiana crawfish and crawfish products.

(5)  Sufficient revenues can be derived from the development of a modern, consolidated, wholesale crawfish packaging, warehousing, distribution and marketing facility located in Louisiana to amortize the costs thereof within a reasonable period of time and it is fitting and proper that the costs of developing such a facility should be defrayed insofar as practicable by notes or certificates of indebtedness payable from the revenues to be derived from the construction and operation of such facility.

B.  Therefore, based on its findings as above stated, the legislature intends by the provisions of this Part, and it is in the best interests of the citizens of this state, to create and establish a Louisiana Crawfish Market Development Authority and to empower the authority to acquire land or insure the acquisition of land; to construct or insure the construction of, and to operate or insure the operation of a modern, consolidated wholesale crawfish packaging, warehousing, distribution, and marketing facility in Louisiana.  The authority is further empowered to provide financial assistance as authorized in this Part to the person, firm, corporation, partnership, or association of this state which will own, lease, or operate the facility. The authority may issue notes or certificates of indebtedness to be payable from the revenues to be derived from the construction and operation of such facility.

Acts 1985, No. 880, §1, eff. July 23, 1985.