RS 1114.3 - Disaster or emergency contracts; prohibition; disclosure
A.(1) No statewide elected official, legislator, commissioner of administration, or chief of staff or executive counsel to the governor, nor the spouse of any such person, nor any corporation, partnership, or other legal entity in which such a person owns an interest of greater than five percent, except a publicly traded corporation or a legal entity in which the person owns a passive ownership interest that is the result of participation in a federally approved program of employee ownership, shall enter into any contract to which all of the following apply:
(a) The contract is directed to addressing needs directly emanating from a gubernatorially declared disaster or emergency.
(b) The person knows or reasonably should know that the contract or subcontract is funded or reimbursed in whole or in part with federal funds distributed, paid, or allocated to or by the state or a state department, agency, or official.
(2) Hereafter in this Subsection, "person covered by this Subsection" shall mean a statewide elected official, legislator, commissioner of administration, or chief of staff or executive counsel to the governor, or the spouse of any such person. "Company covered by this Subsection" shall mean a corporation, partnership, or other legal entity in which a person covered by this Subsection owns an interest of greater than five percent, except a publicly traded corporation or a legal entity in which the person owns a passive ownership interest that is the result of participation in a federally approved program of employee ownership.
(3) The provisions of Paragraph (1) of this Subsection shall not apply to construction-related contracts entered into with entities more than two years following the initial declaration of disaster or emergency, provided that the entity is not the governmental entity of a person covered by this Section.
(4)(a) The following shall not be considered contracts for the purposes of this Section:
(i) A transaction valued at two thousand five hundred dollars or less. However, no person shall enter into separate transactions valued at two thousand five hundred dollars or less as a subterfuge to avoid the prohibition of this Subsection.
(ii) A foster parent provider agreement or a child care provider agreement entered into with the Department of Children and Family Services.
(iii) An agreement with a state entity or state quasi-public entity providing for housing, medical treatment, retirement benefits, or insurance benefits, provided on the same terms and conditions available to similarly situated persons.
(iv) An agreement providing for public assistance benefits, including but not limited to subsidies for agriculture, aquaculture, forestry, soil and water conservation, educational scholarships, grants and subsidies, or guaranteed student loans, provided that such benefits are available to similarly situated persons.
(v) An agreement for which the compensation is solely reimbursement of costs.
(vi) Applying for, payment of fees for, or obtaining a license, credential, or permit provided that such license, credential, or permit is available to similarly situated persons.
(vii) The payment of admission fees.
(viii) The sale of property pursuant to the expropriation of immovable property by any branch, agency, department, or institution of state government.
(ix) The donation of professional veterinary services and the donation of any goods and services related to the provision of such veterinary services.
(b) The provisions of this Subsection shall not prohibit the following:
(i) Contracts for employment or for services in a professional educational capacity in an elementary or secondary school or other educational institution.
(ii) Contracts for employment or for services by any licensed health care professional providing services in the classroom or working with administration in an elementary or secondary school or other educational institution.
(iii) Contracts for services by health care professionals which are required by federal or state law to provide an educational program for students in an elementary or secondary school or other educational institution.
(iv) A provider agreement entered into with the Louisiana Department of Health under the state medical assistance program.
(v) Contracts of employment of a physician or other licensed health care professional with the state or the charity hospitals of the state or the Louisiana Department of Health.
(5) Each person covered by this Subsection who derives, either directly or through a company covered by this Subsection, any thing of economic value through any contract which is directed to addressing needs directly emanating from a gubernatorially declared disaster or emergency and which the person covered by this Subsection knows or reasonably should know is or may be funded or reimbursed in whole or in part with federal funds shall disclose the information required by Subsection C of this Section as provided in that Subsection.
B.(1) Except persons covered by Subsection A of this Section and except as provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, each elected official, each appointed state official, and each immediate family member of an official subject to this Subsection or Subsection A of this Section who derives, either directly or through a legal entity in which such official or immediate family member owns ten percent or more, any thing of economic value through any contract which is related to a gubernatorially declared disaster or emergency and which the official or immediate family member knows or reasonably should know is or may be funded or reimbursed in whole or in part with federal funds shall disclose the information required by Subsection C of this Section as provided in that Subsection.
(2) No person required to disclose information by Paragraph (1) of this Subsection shall be required to disclose the receipt of any thing of economic value pursuant to this Section when the value of the transaction or contract is two thousand five hundred dollars or less. However, no person shall enter into separate transactions or contracts valued at two thousand five hundred dollars or less with the same person or governmental entity or agency thereof as a subterfuge to avoid the disclosure requirements of this Section.
C.(1) The following information shall be disclosed:
(a)(i) If an elected or appointed official, the name and address of the elected or appointed official and the office held by such person.
(ii) If an immediate family member of an elected or appointed official, the name and address of such person; the name, address, and office of the elected or appointed official to whom the person is related; and the nature of the relationship.
(b) If through a legal entity, the name and business address of the legal entity, the percentage of the official's or immediate family member's ownership interest in the legal entity, and the position, if any, held by the official or immediate family member in the legal entity.
(c) The nature of the contract or subcontract, including the amount of the contract or subcontract and a description of the goods or services provided or to be provided pursuant to the contract or subcontract.
(d) The amount of income or value of any thing of economic value derived through the contract or subcontract by the official or immediate family member for the previous calendar year, except as provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection.
(2) Each elected or appointed official and immediate family member subject to the provisions of this Section shall file an initial disclosure statement with the Board of Ethics no later than thirty days after the official, immediate family member, or legal entity enters into the contract. The initial disclosure statement shall contain all of the information required by Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, except that instead of the actual amount of income or value of any thing of economic value derived from the contract by the official or immediate family member for the previous calendar year, the official or immediate family member shall include the amount of income or value of any thing of economic value to be derived or, if the actual amount is unknown at the time the statement is due, reasonably expected to be derived from the contract or subcontract for the first calendar year of the contract or subcontract.
(3)(a) After filing the initial disclosure statement, the elected or appointed official or immediate family member shall file the disclosure statements required by this Subsection with the Board of Ethics no later than May fifteenth each year and shall include such information for the previous calendar year.
(b) An elected or appointed official or immediate family member subject to the provisions of this Section shall be required to file the annual disclosure statements required by this Subsection until a disclosure statement is filed after the completion of the contract or subcontract subject to disclosure, or the person filing such statements, or to whom the immediate family member is related is no longer an elected or appointed official, whichever occurs first.
(c) Annual disclosure statements shall not be required for the receipt of things of economic value pursuant to contracts entered into prior to an elected or appointed official taking office; however, if an elected or appointed official or immediate family member thereof receives or reasonably expects to receive a thing of economic value otherwise required to be disclosed by this Section pursuant to the renewal of such a contract or subcontract occurring after the official takes office, such official or immediate family member shall file a disclosure statement no later than thirty days after such renewal in accordance with Paragraph (2) of this Subsection and annually thereafter in accordance with this Subsection.
(d) All disclosure statements filed pursuant to this Section shall be a matter of public record.
(4)(a) Failure to file a statement, failure to timely file a statement, failure to disclose required information, filing a false statement, or engaging in a subterfuge to avoid the disclosure requirements of this Section shall subject a person required to file to penalties as provided by this Chapter.
(b) In addition to other applicable penalties, whoever fails to file a statement required by this Section, or knowingly and willfully fails to timely file any such statement, or knowingly and willfully fails to disclose or to accurately disclose any information required by this Section shall be assessed a civil penalty in accordance with R.S. 42:1157 for each day until such statement or the required accurate information is filed. The amount of the penalty shall be one hundred dollars per day.
(c) In addition to other applicable penalties, whoever enters into separate contracts valued at two thousand five hundred dollars or less as a subterfuge to avoid the disclosure requirements of this Section shall be subject to the penalties of R.S. 42:1153.
D. For the purposes of this Section, the term "appointed state official" or "appointed official" shall mean a person holding an office in any branch of state government or other position on a state agency, board, or commission or any executive office of any state agency, board, commission, or department which is specifically established or specifically authorized by the constitution or laws of this state or by executive order of the governor and which is filled by appointment or election by an elected or appointed public official or by a governmental body composed of such officials of this state.
E. Nothing in this Section shall require the disclosure of any thing of economic value received from an individual assistance claim.
Acts 2005, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 18, §1, eff. Nov. 29, 2005; Acts 2006, No. 412, §1, eff. June 15, 2006; Acts 2008, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 2, §1, eff. March 3, 2008; Acts 2008, No. 514, §1, eff. June 30, 2008.
NOTE: See Acts 2008, No. 514, §5, for applicability.