Senate Bill No. 324, introduced by Senator Reese, proposes amendments to the Water Sector Program, which provides grant funding for the repair, improvement, and consolidation of community water and sewer systems. The bill removes the office of facility planning and control from the program's administration and establishes that the division of administration and the office of community development will oversee the program in consultation with the Louisiana Department of Health and the Department of Environmental Quality. It also clarifies that emergency grant funding can be provided to community water or sewer systems under court-appointed receivership or to those with a limited fiscal administrator. Additionally, the bill eliminates outdated deadlines and requires the commission to update priorities for grant guidance as needed.

The proposed legislation includes several new provisions, such as allowing the commission to rescind grant awards if recipients fail to comply with approved guidance and disqualifying those who do not meet rate study requirements from future funding. It extends the deadline for submitting project ratings from 45 to 60 days after the application period and permits the commission to recommend subsequent grant awards without requiring a new application period. Furthermore, the bill allows for modifications to the scope of work for grant awards without needing commission approval for minor technical changes. The bill is set to take effect upon the governor's signature or after the expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature.

Statutes affected:
SB324 Original: 39:56(C)
SB324 Engrossed: 39:56(C)