[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 17 (Thursday, January 28, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S339]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            RECOGNIZING THE LOUISIANA MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION

 Mr. CASSIDY. Mr. President, today I am honored to have the 
opportunity to acknowledge and express gratitude to the Louisiana 
Municipal Association, LMA, in recognition of their 90th anniversary.
  Founded in 1926, the Louisiana Conference of Mayors was created with 
the purpose of providing a forum for mutual consultation and discussion 
of various topics affecting municipal government. The organization also 
aided the growth and development of each municipality through education 
about best practices problem solving. Shortly after the Louisiana 
Conference of Mayors was created, the Great Depression swept the 
Nation. In 1937, a handful of resilient mayors met to revive the 
organization, giving it new life as the Louisiana Municipal 
Association. They may not have foreseen that their tenacity in 
overcoming adversity during the Great Depression and taking proactive 
steps to keep Louisiana municipalities united and strong would form the 
basis for the core values to which the LMA still adheres today.
  From its inception, the LMA has focused on helping local elected 
leaders create and maintain efficient and effective municipal 
governments. In 1987, the nonprofit, nonpartisan LMA created Risk 
Management, Inc., RMI, to address the insurance and liability demands 
of member municipalities through its inter-local risk pool. In 1999, 
the Louisiana Municipal Advisory and Technical Services Bureau, Inc., 
LaMATS, was created with the purpose of providing essential services to 
assist municipalities in their day-to-day operations.
  In addition to these wholly owned subsidiaries, the LMA has three 
political subdivisions--Louisiana Municipal Gas Authority, Unemployment 
Compensation Fund, and Louisiana Community Development Authority; four 
advisory organizations--Louisiana Association of Chiefs of Police, 
Louisiana Rural Water Association, Louisiana Conference of Mayors, and 
Louisiana Municipal Black Caucus Association; and nine affiliate 
organizations--Municipal Employees Retirement System, Louisiana City 
Attorneys Association, Louisiana Association of Municipal Secretaries 
and Assistants, Louisiana Recreation and Parks Association, Louisiana 
Association of Tax Administrators, Louisiana Municipal Clerks 
Association, Building Officials Association of Louisiana, Louisiana 
Airport Managers and Associates, and Louisiana Fire Chiefs Association.
  For decades, the LMA has had tremendous success engaging with its 
State and Federal partners. In the Louisiana Legislature, the LMA has 
been a strong voice in the efforts to fight blight, promote law 
enforcement, and enhance economic growth. On the Federal level, the LMA 
joined forces with the National League of Cities and other coastal 
State municipal leagues to lead the charge in petitioning Congress to 
enact the Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014, which 
enacted critical reforms to the Biggert Waters Act of 2012. I was proud 
to work with the LMA on the inclusion of the Grimm-Cassidy amendment to 
this legislation, thereby facilitating affordable homeowner flood 
insurance in Louisiana and across the country.
  For 90 years, the LMA has worked to strengthen Louisiana through 
support and empowerment of municipal government. The organization has 
launched a yearlong celebration of this anniversary by naming 2016 the 
``Year of Education.'' Opening festivities for this theme will commence 
in February under the auspices of the 2016 LMA executive board 
officers--President Mayor Carroll Breaux of Springhill, First Vice 
President Mayor Barney Arceneaux of Gonzales, Second Vice President 
Mayor Lawrence Henagan of DeQuincy, Immediate Past President Mayor 
David Camardelle of Grand Isle, and District A Vice President Mayor 
Jimmy Williams of Sibley. The executive director of LMA is Ronnie 
Harris, former 28-year mayor of Gretna.
  What started out as a collection of 29 forward-thinking mayors 
seeking to empower their communities has evolved into a praiseworthy 
organization that has earned the esteem and trust of local, State, and 
Federal elected officials, as well as fellow municipal leagues.
  I would like to congratulate the LMA on its 90th anniversary and wish 
them many more years of strength and excellence.

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