[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 17 (Thursday, January 28, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S343-S344]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            RECOGNIZING THE LOUISIANA MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION

 Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, today my colleague Senator Bill 
Cassidy and I are honored to have the opportunity to acknowledge and 
express gratitude to the Louisiana Municipal

[[Page S344]]

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 and 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.
  To fulfill its mission of educating its membership and providing a 
forum for discussion about common issues, solutions, and problem 
solving, the LMA holds an annual convention, a midwinter conference, 10 
district meetings, a municipal day during the State's legislative 
session, and 15 or more webinars.
  For decades, the LMA has had tremendous legislative success on both 
State and Federal levels. In the Louisiana Legislature, the LMA has 
been a strong voice for Louisiana municipalities in efforts to fight 
blight, promote law enforcement, maintain funding, 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 lobbying Congress to enact the Homeowners Flood Insurance 
Affordability Act of 2014, which enacted critical reforms to the 
Biggert Waters Act of 2012, thereby facilitating affordable homeowner 
flood insurance in Louisiana and across the country.
  For 90 years, the LMA has worked to strengthen the backbone of 
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 at the midwinter conference 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 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.
  We would like to congratulate the LMA on its 90th anniversary and 
wish them many more years of strength and excellence.

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