Sponsor presents bill to consolidate local-government statutes; chair advances it favorably

A senator sponsoring Senate Bill 3 34 told members the measure would gather scattered local-government statutes in Title 33 into a single location without making substantive changes, and the chair moved to advance the bill. After no objections were raised, the chair declared the motion carried.

The sponsor described SB 3 34 as a consolidation effort intended to make local statutes easier to find and apply. "Senate Bill 3 34 is just another step along the way," the sponsor said, adding that the proposal was prompted by a retired parish attorney who recommended collecting overlapping local-government provisions in one place. The sponsor said Title 33, which governs local government, "is 2,000 pages long" and is spread across state law.

A staff member read the bill summary for the panel, describing the bill as providing for enforcement by municipalities or parishes of ordinances related to public health, housing, fire and building codes, zoning, vegetation, nuisances, licensing and permits. A committee member asked whether the measure had anything to do with expropriation of property — a point of public concern elsewhere — and the chair and staff replied that it did not.

The chair reported a green card from Debbie Hinton of the Police Jury Association indicating she wished to speak in support. The chair moved to advance Senate Bill 3 34 favorably; with no objections voiced, the chair declared the motion carried. The chair then reminded members to notify colleagues Robert Owens and Gary Carter to attend or risk deferral of their items and said the panel would recess.

What happens next: the panel advanced the bill on a voice motion with no objection recorded; the transcript does not record a roll-call vote, a second, or any formal tally.