Could a Louisiana port commissioner lobby on behalf of the port?

Plain-English summary

The Port of Krotz Springs asked about a commission member lobbying for the port. In Opinion 03-0071, the Louisiana Attorney General said he knew of no provision in the Dual Officeholding and Dual Employment Laws that would prevent a Greater Krotz Springs Port commissioner from serving as its lobbyist.

The letter gave a separate answer about lobbyist regulation: the Lobbyist Disclosure Act governed lobbyist conduct, and the Louisiana State Board of Ethics issued advisory opinions interpreting that Act. The AG forwarded the request to the board and did not decide whether the proposed lobbying complied with the Act.

Currency note

This opinion was issued in 2003. Subsequent statutory amendments, court decisions, or later AG opinions may have changed the analysis. Treat this page as historical context, not current legal advice. Verify current law before relying on any specific rule, deadline, or remedy mentioned here.

What the opinion meant at issuance

Port commissioners

The opinion addressed only the dual-officeholding question and found no prohibition in that body of law for the arrangement described. It did not grant an ethics-law clearance.

Port agencies and lobbyists

The AG identified the Board of Ethics as the body that interprets the Lobbyist Disclosure Act and forwarded the request there. His letter did not state how that Act applied to this commissioner.

Common questions

Q: Did the AG say a port commissioner could never lobby for the port?
A: No. He identified no dual-officeholding prohibition for the commissioner described.

Q: Did the opinion decide the Lobbyist Disclosure Act question?
A: No. The AG referred that aspect to the Louisiana State Board of Ethics for its review.

Background and statutory framework

The letter cited R.S. 42:61, et seq. for dual officeholding and R.S. 24:50, et seq. for lobbyist disclosure. It was a short referral on the second issue, not a full analysis of lobbyist requirements. The source does not print a readable issue date beyond the opinion number.

Citations and references

Authorities in the opinion: R.S. 42:61, et seq.; R.S. 24:50, et seq.

Source

• Landing page: https://www.ag.state.la.us/Opinions
• Original PDF: https://www.ag.state.la.us/Opinion/Download/03-0071

Original opinion text

Best-effort transcription from a scanned PDF. Minor errors may remain — the linked PDF is authoritative.

~t~te of ~o~i~i~
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
One American Place
CIVIL DIVISION
301 Ma~n Street, Suite 600
P.O. Box 94005
BATON ROUGE
TEL.: (225) 342-7013
RICHARD P. IEYOUB
FAX- (225) 342-2090
70804-9005
ATTORNEY GENERAL

OPINION 03-0071

Ms. Vanessa Harris-Kennerson
78 DUAL OFFICEHOLDING
Port of Krotz Springs
R.S. 42:61, et seq.; R.S. 24:50, .et seq.
P. O. Box 155
Questions concerning interpretation of the Lobbyist Disclosure
Krotz Springs, LA 70750
Act should be referred to the Louisiana State Board of Ethics.

Dear Ms. Kennerson:

This office knows of no prohibition in the Dual Officeholding and Dual Employment Laws, R.S. 42:61, et seq., which would prevent a member of the Greater Krotz Springs Port Commission from serving as a lobbyist on behalf of the port. The law which is germane to the conduct of lobbyists is the Lobbyist Disclosure Act, R.S. 24:50, et seq.

The Louisiana State Board of Ethics issues advisory opinions interpreting the Lobbyist Disclosure Act; your request has been forwarded to that entity for review.

Very truly yours,

RICHARD P. IEYOUB
ATTORNEY GENERAL

BY:

ASSIST~(NT ATTORNEY GENERAL

KLK:ams

Louisiana State Board of Ethics
(225) 763-8777