This section creates a dedicated fund account, caps its balance at $2 million, and directs how the money must be handled and used.
§2380. Right-to-Know Dedicated Fund Account A. Subject to the exceptions contained in Article VII, Section 9 of the Constitution of Louisiana, all monies collected pursuant to R.S. 30:2373 shall be paid into the state treasury and shall be credited to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund. Out of the funds remaining in the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, after a sufficient amount is allocated from that fund to pay all obligations secured by the full faith and credit of the state which become due and payable within a fiscal year, the treasurer shall, prior to placing such remaining funds in the state general fund, pay into a special statutorily dedicated fund account, which is hereby created in the state treasury and designated as the "Right-to-Know Dedicated Fund Account", hereinafter referred to as the "account", an amount equal to all monies collected pursuant to R.S. 30:2373. The balance in the account shall not exceed two million dollars. Any monies in excess of that amount shall revert to the general fund. Monies deposited into the account shall be categorized as fees and self-generated revenue for the sole purpose of reporting related to the executive budget, supporting documents, and general appropriation bills and shall be available for annual appropriation by the legislature. B. Monies in the account shall be paid to the deputy secretary on his warrant and shall be used to develop the Louisiana Chemical Network (LCN), a statewide centralized inventory and release reporting system. This centralized reporting system is intended to eliminate duplication in reporting requirements, develop centralized data management, and provide processed data to all parishes via the local emergency planning committees (LEPCs). The department shall have the responsibility to develop a centralized data distribution system and provide the local emergency planning committees with the necessary equipment, software, and training to support its application. The monies in the account shall be dedicated to equipment acquisition and personnel training for LEPCs and for the department to properly staff the centralized data management functions. The deputy secretary shall adopt the necessary rules and regulations to administer this system. Acts 1997, No. 1046, §1; Acts 2021, No. 114, §6, eff. July 1, 2022.