If a lawmaker from Grant Parish has his druthers this session, the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission will be abolished.
Rep. Billy R. Chandler has proposed a constitutional amendment to scrap the panel, which sets hunting and fishing seasons, oversees enforcement and manages biology practices.
Chandler, a Democrat from Dry Prong, wants most of the policy-making duties of the commission to revert back to legislative control. The commission’s other functions would be absorbed by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries if lawmakers and voters approve his House Bill 529.
In 1975, the commission went from an administrative body to one that drafts policy. Since then, more responsibilities regarding wildlife and fisheries have been stripped from the Legislature and given to the commission, creating some tension along the way. Recently, however, relations between lawmakers and the commission have been civil.
Robert Barham, secretary of the department, says it’s unlikely any real cost savings could come from the proposal and there doesn’t seem to be any real support — or political will — to abolish the commission. Barham, a former state senator, also argues that the commission serves as a barrier between biology and politics. “This would be a very unwise decision,” he says. If the Legislature adopts Chandler’s legislation, the proposed constitutional amendment would be submitted to voters on Nov. 2, 2010. And it’s possible that it won’t be the only state government shaker-upper on the ballot.
Rep. Joe Harrison, a Republican from Napoleonville, is also pushing House Bill 496 to abolish the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, Louisiana’s top school board, and shift all of its responsibilities to a beefed-up version of the superintendent of schools.
“BESE has failed at its mission,” Harrison says. “It’s time for a change. His proposed constitutional amendment would change the title of “state superintendent of education for public elementary and secondary education” to simply the “state superintendent of education.”
Additionally, the position would be appointed by the governor and ratified by the Senate.
As for how that might impact current Superintendent Paul Pastorek, the proposed constitutional amendment states that whoever is superintendent in January of 2012 would “remain in office and serve until his successor is appointed and takes office as provided in the amendment.”
Also, instead of carrying out the policies adopted by BESE, the legislation calls for the superintendent to “implement policies of the Legislature.” Many lawmakers are looking for ways to cut expenses this session, especially as the state grapples with a $1.3 billion deficit.
As such, abolishing or merging state departments and agencies is a hot topic. For instance, Harrison is likewise behind House Bill 815, which would abolish the Department of Health and Hospitals and the Department of Social Services and then merge the two together. The resulting agency would be called the Department of Health and Social Services. There are also bills to abolish various boards and commissions, including the State Market Commission and Farm Youth Loan Program, and to reorganize certain sections of the executive branch.
For more information on these proposals and others, click here.
