Louisiana Revised Statutes 22:1483.1 – A. The Louisiana Fortify Homes Program is hereby created within the department. The commissioner, as program administrator, may make financial grants to retrofit roofs of insurable p
Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes 22:1483.1
- commissioner: shall mean the commissioner of insurance. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 22:1451
- Entitlement: A Federal program or provision of law that requires payments to any person or unit of government that meets the eligibility criteria established by law. Entitlements constitute a binding obligation on the part of the Federal Government, and eligible recipients have legal recourse if the obligation is not fulfilled. Social Security and veterans' compensation and pensions are examples of entitlement programs.
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
A. The Louisiana Fortify Homes Program is hereby created within the department. The commissioner, as program administrator, may make financial grants to retrofit roofs of insurable property, as defined in La. Rev. Stat. 22:1483(C)(9), with a homestead exemption to resist loss due to hurricane, tornado, or other catastrophic windstorm events and to meet or exceed the “fortified roof” standard of the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety. The commissioner shall promulgate rules governing eligibility requirements for grants and the administration of the program.
B. In order to receive a grant pursuant to this Section, the grantee shall do all of the following:
(1) Obtain all permits required by law or ordinance for construction.
(2) Arrange and pay for inspections required by law or ordinance and the terms of the grant, which shall include inspection pursuant to La. Rev. Stat. 22:1483(C)(3).
(3) Comply with applicable building codes.
(4) Maintain records as required by La. Rev. Stat. 22:1483(C)(4) and (5) and the terms of the grant.
C. The name of a recipient of a grant received pursuant to this Section, the amount of the grant, and the municipal address of the retrofitted insurable property shall be a public record.
D. There is hereby established in the state treasury as a special fund the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program Fund, hereafter referred to in this Section as the “fund”. Monies appropriated or transferred to the fund shall be deposited by the state treasurer after compliance with the provisions of La. Const. Art. VII, § 9(B) . Monies in the fund shall be invested in the same manner as monies in the state general fund, and any interest earned on monies in the fund shall be credited to the fund. All unexpended and unencumbered monies in the fund at the end of the fiscal year shall remain in the fund. Monies in the fund shall be used to provide grants pursuant to this Section.
E. This Section does not create any of the following:
(1) An entitlement for property owners to receive funding to inspect or retrofit residential property.
(2) An obligation for the state to appropriate funding to inspect or retrofit residential property.
F. The provisions of this Section shall terminate and have no effect beginning at twelve o’clock midnight on June 30, 2025.
Acts 2022, No. 554, §1, eff. Jan. 1. 2023.