Vote for Amendment 8, STOP Government Theft

quote:

---

The state created the Artificial Reef Development Fund in 1986 as part of the state’s Fishing Enhancement Act to promote and develop artificial reefs. The money comes from grants and donations and from an arrangement with oil and gas companies that agree to convert their non- productive offshore platforms into artificial reefs. Under that arrangement, the state gets half of whatever savings the company realizes by turning the platform into a reef, and the company retains the other half. Money in the fund is for operation of the program, including permitting, establishing, monitoring and maintenance of artificial reefs, until such time that the annual interest earnings from the fund are sufficient to run the program. In addition, up to 10% of the annual deposits can be used to help fund the wild-caught fish certification program and up to 10% of annual deposits can be used for inshore fisheries habitat enhancement projects. Because the fund was established in statutes and not in the Constitution, it is vulnerable to being “swept” to cover state budget shortfalls. In recent years about $46 million has been swept from the fund, leaving a balance of $12.5 million.

PROPOSED CHANGE The proposed amendment would add the Artificial Reef Development Fund to the list of funds protected in the Constitution from being “swept” of cash when the state is looking for additional money to help balance the state budget.

ARGUMENT FOR The money in the Artificial Reef Development Fund should be used only for its intended pur- poses—promoting and managing artificial reef development, assisting the state’s wild seafood certification program and helping with inshore fisheries projects. Ensuring the fund’s long-term viability could help persuade oil and gas companies to consider converting more non-producing platforms into artificial reefs. Protecting the fund from being “swept” would reassure company officials that money put into the fund would be used only to further the artificial reef program and not to bolster the state budget.

ARGUMENT AGAINST This amendment would add another exception to Louisiana’s Constitution. Other funds established for specific interest groups also would like such protection under the Constitution, which could become more clogged with unnecessary exceptions and minutia. Prohibiting alternative uses of the money in the Artificial Reef Development Fund would hamper the Legislature’s and the governor’s flexibility to address future crises and to alleviate dire budget circumstances for higher education and health care. Meanwhile, no private company actually loses money when the fund is swept.

---

LINK to All Amendments

quote:

---

would hamper the Legislature’s and the governor’s flexibility to address future crises and to alleviate dire budget circumstances for higher education and health care.

---

I think that should read "hamper the legislatures and the governors flexibility to address future frick ups. Really, if you're a sportsman, I don't see the negatives in this Bill. It pisses me off that Jindal was able to, and did raid this fund to cover his arse.

We should all vote for amendment 8, but what about amendment 12? Have there been that many issues come up bc there isn't enough north LA representation on the wildlife commission?