TITLE XXXIII.  EMERGENCY OR DISASTER PROVISIONS

Art. 941.  Legislative findings

The legislature hereby finds and declares the following:

(1)  The state of Louisiana could suffer future catastrophic damage through the occurrence of emergencies and disasters of unprecedented size and destructiveness resulting from terrorist events, enemy attack, sabotage, or other hostile action, or from fire, flood, earthquake, or other natural or manmade causes resulting in the displacement of residents or the destruction of or severe damage to courthouses and other facilities supporting the criminal justice system.

(2)  The magnitude of such catastrophic events may cause a disruption of the criminal justice system in any parish directly impacted by the emergency or disaster.

(3)  The response to such an emergency or disaster should ensure the continued effective operation and integrity of the state's criminal justice system while minimizing adverse effects on the interests of the defendant and the state.

(4)  Considering these factors, the Legislature of Louisiana, exercising its authority vested in Article III and Article VI, Section 3 of the Constitution of Louisiana, and recognizing the necessity of creating a classification of parishes based upon the need to conduct emergency sessions of court, does hereby enact the provisions of this Title to provide for the effective operation and integrity of the criminal justice system during times of emergency or disaster.

Acts 2005, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 52, §1, eff. Dec. 6, 2005.