EXECUTIVE ORDER MJF 01-03

EXECUTIVE ORDER MJF 01-03

Additional Consensus Estimating Conferences

WHEREAS, R.S. 39:21.1 through 27 provides for consensus estimating conferences on economics, demographics, education, criminal justice, health and social services, transportation, and revenue for the purpose of developing official information on those issues for the state planning and budgeting system;

WHEREAS, existing consensus estimating conferences do not address all of the issues for which the state of Louisiana requires official consensus information for the state planning and budget system; and

WHEREAS, the best interests of the citizens of the state of Louisiana are served by the creation of three additional consensus estimating conferences to address the issues of higher education, human resources, and other matters which are not in the area of responsibility of a consensus estimating conference;

NOW THEREFORE, I, M.J. "MIKE" FOSTER, JR., Governor of the state of Louisiana, by virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution and the laws of the state of Louisiana, do hereby order and direct as follows:

SECTION 1:

A. The Higher Education Estimating Conference is established within the executive department, Division of Administration.

B. The Higher Education Estimating Conference shall develop such official information related to the state of Louisiana's higher education system as the members of the conference determine is needed for purposes of the state planning and budgeting system, including official information on student enrollment, faculty pay and benefits, and/or comparisons of the state of Louisiana to other states.

C. The Higher Education Estimating Conference shall consist of the following six voting members:

1. The governor, or the governor's designee;

2. The commissioner of administration, or the commissioner's designee;

3. The president of the Louisiana Senate, or the president's designee selected from either the membership or staff of the Louisiana Senate;

4. The speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives, or the speaker's designee selected from either the membership or staff of the Louisiana House of Representatives;

5. The legislative fiscal officer, or the officer's designee; and

6. The commissioner of higher education, or the commissioner's designee.

SECTION 2:

A. The Human Resources Estimating Conference is established within the executive department, Division of Administration.

B. The Human Resources Estimating Conference shall develop such official information related to the human resources of the state of Louisiana as the members of the conference determine is needed for purposes of the state planning and budgeting system, including official information on employment, employee pay and benefits, and/or comparisons of the state of Louisiana to other states or to the private sector of the state of Louisiana and/or other states.

C. The Human Resources Estimating Conference shall consist of the following six voting members:

1. The governor, or the governor's designee;

2. The commissioner of administration, or the commissioner's designee;

3. The president of the Louisiana Senate, or the president's designee selected from either the membership or staff of the Louisiana Senate;

4. The speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives, or the speaker's designee selected from either the membership or staff of the Louisiana House of Representatives;

5. The legislative fiscal officer, or the officer's designee; and

6. The director of the Department of Civil Service, or the director's designee.

 SECTION 3:

A. The State and National Data Estimating Conference is established within the executive department, Division of Administration.

B. The State and National Data Estimating Conference shall develop such official information on any issue not within the area of responsibility of any other consensus estimating conference created by 39:21.1-27 or the provisions of this Order, as the majority of voting members of the conference determine is needed for the purposes of the state planning and budgeting system.

C. The State and National Data Estimating Conference shall consist of the following five voting members:

1. The governor, or the governor's designee;

2. The commissioner of administration, or the commissioner's designee;

3. The president of the Louisiana Senate, or the president's designee selected from either the membership or staff of the Louisiana Senate;

4. The speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives, or the speaker's designee selected from either the membership or staff of the Louisiana House of Representatives; and

5. The legislative fiscal officer, or the officer's designee.

 D. The State and National Data Estimating Conference shall also consist of the following non-voting member:

1. The executive director of Public Affairs Research, Inc., or the executive director's designee.

SECTION 4:

A. As used in this Order, "official information" means the data, forecasts, estimates, analyses, studies, and/or other information adopted by a conference.

B. The official information of a conference shall be adopted only by a favorable record vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the appointed voting members of the conference.

C. Each conference shall publish the official information adopted by the conference in the Louisiana Register.

D. Official information adopted by a conference shall constitute the official information of a conference until rescinded, replaced, and/or superceded at a subsequent meeting of the conference by a favorable record vote of two- thirds (2/3) of the appointed voting members of the conference.

E. The official forecasts of a conference shall be based upon the assumption that the current laws and administrative procedures of the state of Louisiana and/or the departments, commissions, boards, offices, agencies, and/or political subdivisions thereof, shall remain in effect throughout the forecast period.

F. Two-thirds (2/3) of the appointed voting members of a conference means four voting members of a conference consisting of five voting members and/or four voting members of a conference consisting of six voting members.

 SECTION 5: Each conference shall issue initial official information determinations by February 15, 2001.

SECTION 6:

A. The governor shall appoint the chair of each conference from its voting members.

B. Each conference shall meet at the call of its chair and/or by written notice of three or more voting members who dispute or question the continued validity of an item of official information previously adopted by the conference.

C. Support staff for the conferences and facilities for conference meetings shall be arranged by the Office of the Governor and/or the Division of Administration.

D. Conference members shall not receive additional compensation or a per diem from the Office of the Governor and/or the Division of Administration for serving on a conference. However, state officers and/or employees may seek reimbursement of travel expenses, in accordance with PPM 49, from their employing and/or elected department, agency, and/or office.

 SECTION 7:

A. All departments, commissions, boards, offices, agencies, and political subdivisions of the state of Louisiana, and the officers thereof, shall use the official information developed by the conference.

B. All departments, commissions, boards, offices, agencies, and political subdivisions of the state of Louisiana, and the officers thereof, are authorized and directed to cooperate in implementing the provisions of this Order.

 SECTION 8: This Order is effective upon signature and shall continue in effect until amended, modified, terminated, or rescinded by the governor, or terminated by operation of law.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have set my hand officially and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of Louisiana, at the Capitol, in the city of Baton Rouge, on this 24th day of January, 2001.

M.J. "Mike" Foster, Jr.
Governor

ATTEST BY
THE GOVERNOR
Fox McKeithen
Secretary of State