Governor moves GOSEP under Louisiana National Guard; officials say emergency response capabilities unchanged

At a joint budget hearing, Major General Tom Freilyeu, the Adjutant General of Louisiana, told lawmakers the governor announced a restructuring that places the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOSEP) under the Louisiana National Guard and named Brig. Gen. Jason Mahfouz as GOSEP's interim director. Freilyeu said the change is intended to identify cost savings and eliminate redundant support functions while preserving GOSEP's core emergency management responsibilities.

Freilyeu said the transition will follow a deliberate 90‑day planning period to map support functions such as human resources, legal, contracting and budgeting, and to propose efficiencies while "never at the risk of GOSEP's core capabilities of caring for our citizens on their worst day." He said the Guard will operate with both budgets through the coming fiscal year and aims to merge operations the following year.

Lawmakers repeatedly pressed for clarity about whether the change would affect field response or the standard process by which local governments request state assistance. Major General Freilyeu and Brig. Gen. Michael Greer emphasized there will be "no change in core capability" and that established local‑to‑state emergency request procedures remain unchanged. Freilyeu cited lessons from recent events, including Hurricane Ida and the Jan. 1 security response in New Orleans, to reassure members that chain‑of‑command authority and on‑the‑ground commander discretion for urgent actions will remain intact.

Freilyeu said efficiencies targeted by the merger focus on duplicative administrative support: "We don't need two HR shops, two legal shops, two procurement shops," he told the committee. He added that some TO (authorized) positions that support administrative functions may be reduced as redundancies are eliminated; however, he did not give a final headcount, saying an evaluation will conclude within the 90‑day planning window.

Several lawmakers asked whether the reorganization risked a return to pre‑Katrina conditions in which on‑the‑ground commanders lacked authority to act. Freilyeu responded that the state has learned lessons and that the modern approach allows commanders on scene to act without waiting for protracted approvals.

Why this matters: GOSEP manages large flows of federal disaster funding and coordinates state response to hurricanes, floods and other emergencies. The reorganization could affect how administrative support is provided to response staff and could change internal budgets and reporting relationships even if frontline response procedures stay the same.

Ending: Officials committed to return with more concrete numbers about cost savings, vacancy counts and any position consolidations after the 90‑day planning period. Lawmakers said they will follow the reorganization closely during appropriation decisions.