§1464. Powers and duties of the commissioner

            The commissioner shall:

            (1) Adopt rules and regulations as are necessary to implement the provisions of this Part in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.

            (2) Administer and enforce the provisions of this Part and all rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this Part.

            (3) Collect, administer, and disburse the proceeds of all fees, interest, penalties, and other monies collected pursuant to this Part.

            (4) Appoint and employ all personnel necessary for the efficient and proper administration of this Part.

            (5) Enter, either directly or through a duly authorized agent, any land or areas where hemp is grown, stored, or processed for the purposes of conducting inspections, collecting samples, testing, examining, and copying records, and carrying out suppression or eradication activities as provided in this Part.

            (6) Seek and obtain injunctive or other civil relief to restrain and prevent violations of this Part, rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this Part, or orders and rulings issued by the commissioner pursuant to this Part.

            (7) Institute civil proceedings to enforce his orders or rulings, collect any assessments, late fees, fines, penalties, or costs due under this Part or to otherwise enforce the provisions of this Part or rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this Part.

            (8) Create a state plan, in consultation with the governor and attorney general, to monitor and regulate the production of industrial hemp. The state plan shall include all requirements specified in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, P.L. 115-334.

            (9) On or before January 31, 2020, and annually for four years thereafter, submit a status report on the state's industrial hemp program to the House Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development. The report shall include the following information:

            (a) The number of applications received.

            (b) The number of licenses issued in the state and in each parish.

            (c) Total industrial hemp acreage in the state and in each parish.

            (d) The number of licenses issued to growers with land under two hundred acres and the total amount of industrial hemp sold from those growers to processors.

            (e) Type of industrial hemp grown and processed, whether for fiber, seeds, or other uses.

            (f) Estimated value of the industrial hemp industry.

            Acts 2019, No. 164, §1, eff. June 6, 2019; Acts 2021, No. 336, §1.