6
Letter From The President 4/26/20
We hope all of you and your families in Louisiana have been well during the current pandemic. Here is what we have been working on.
More...
April 2020 Update - Louisiana Sportsmen's Coalition
In February of 2020, the SCR99 Task Force delivered its final report to the legislature.
The report was nearly fifty pages of background and suggestions on possible ways to fix the current issues facing the sportsmen of Louisiana regarding the continued posting of waterways.
There were eight suggestions or proposals on possible solutions contained in the report.
Following the delivery of the report, several LaSC Board members and our lobbyists engaged with legislators in an effort to steer solutions in a direction we believe would be amenable to the vast majority of sportsmen.
As a result of the SCR99 Task Force report and our efforts, six bills have been filed for this legislative session that will begin addressing the issue.
We are working with legislators to turn the tide, but please realize this will be a long painstaking process.
Louisiana law contains many intricacies which make the issue of waterway access difficult to constitutionally address.
Our goal is to remain in a full court press and eventually ensure as much water as possible is available for recreation.
Unfortunately, as most of you know, the COVID-19 pandemic has postponed the legislative session until further notice.
We have remained in contact with legislators and our lobbyists have been staying abreast of what is going on at the Capital.
Our lobbyists will alert us as normalcy returns to the legislative process in order to provide ample time for us to rally support behind all legislation authored on our behalf.
2020 House Bills Regarding Waterway Access
As of this writing, there are six bills that have been introduced into the House of Representatives and Senate regarding waterway access.
Of the six, the LaSC can only support three at this time. They are:
House Bill 40
Authored by Rep. Sherman Mack
Requires that agreements between an acquiring agency and a landowner for integrated coastal protection projects ensure public recreational access to waterways in the reclaimed lands.
The LaSC does not currently support other legislation which has been filed regarding waterway access.
Some of the bills will require a constitutional amendment and are frankly too much of an ask for the people of Louisiana to give up in return for very little additional access.
What We Need You To Do
It is important that all members pay very close attention to our website and Facebook page once normalcy returns to our legislative process.
During the session, we will be issuing calls to action for members to contact legislators to offer opinions on proposed legislation.
When the time comes, we will provide all members with a summary of bills and reasoning as to why they should urge their legislators to support or not support these bills.
Your voice matters!
When those legislator’s phones start ringing and their administrative assistants become overwhelmed with calls, the message becomes clear as to whether they should support a given piece of legislation or not.
We Listened To Your Concerns
Lastly, LaSC has recently reorganized its online presence.
Being an all volunteer organization and having every member hold a full-time job has made it all but impossible for us to keep our membership and the rest of the public properly informed about progress being made.
Our communication has been dismal and we have heard the complaints of our membership!
Earlier this year, the Board of LaSC recruited Devin Denman to handle our communications. Devin has revamped our web presence, social media presence and modernized our membership database.
Devin earns his living through digital marketing and has graciously agreed to handle communications for LaSC.
Our commitment moving forward is to make sure our agenda is communicated clearly to our membership and the general public.
We are extremely excited to have someone like Devin aboard to make sure you, our membership, are kept up to date with anything and everything you need to know about our progress, supported legislation and all other subjects pertaining to our goal of retaining waterway access for all sportsmen in Louisiana.
Closing Words
Lastly, all of us at LaSC would like to wish everyone the best during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Please make sure you take advantage of the wonderful outdoors Louisiana has to offer while keeping yourself and your family safe and healthy!
P.S.
What do you think about everything above? Tell us in the comments below.
Great newsletter! Appreciate the updates, and look forward to being a part of the effort to open Louisiana’s waterways to Louisiana sportsmen and women.
What happened February 2020 with regard to this issue. What are you conceding to. There isn’t any detail information on what is being given away. Keep in mind these waters are our and belongs to all Americans. We are not in a position to give these coastal waters to anyone.
The only thing the land owners association understands is money. If they want to claim these waters as theirs then charge them based on the value regarding taxes ,that this natural resource is worth. They’ll drop it like a hot potatoe. They pay nothing, they trash it, they don’t put any money into it to protect it, and they want the public to pay to restore it while keeping us off of it. REALLY!
I am the founding member of Public Access Water Rights Association. We gave all of our money this organization in hopes that something would be done. You have to play dirty with these people, nice guy won’t work.
http://www.nola.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2017/04/anglers_fighting_bill_that_wou.html
Improved communication can only help! Thank you Mr President and Devin!
What has the coalition proposed in these legislative actions. Tell us what is going on.
[…] really works is working with our elected representatives to craft legislation to bring to bear at the state […]