Creates the Governor's Task Force on Impaired Driving

House Bill 492 enacts Part IV-A of Chapter 2 of Title 49 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, establishing the Governor's Task Force on Impaired Driving as a body corporate operating within the Office of the Governor. The legislation creates a 21-member task force composed of designated representatives from state agencies including the Attorney General, legislative members, the Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, the executive director of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, law enforcement representatives, the director of drug policy, and three at-large members appointed by the governor. The task force is empowered to collect and analyze data on impaired driving incidents, identify and implement countermeasures, solicit recommendations from relevant agencies, assess Louisiana's impaired driving statutes, and provide advisory guidance to the governor and related state agencies. The legislation establishes that the task force shall meet at least four times annually, operate under rules of procedure it establishes, require a majority quorum for official action, and be domiciled in Baton Rouge.

The practical impact of this legislation falls on multiple constituencies. State agencies including the Attorney General's office, Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Department of Health, Department of Transportation and Development, Department of Insurance, and the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission are required to cooperate with the task force by providing information, reports, research, and other support without imposing costs on the Governor's office, subject to their respective funding constraints. Local law enforcement agencies, district attorneys, sheriffs, and police chiefs gain formal representation on the task force through their respective associations. Private sector entities such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Louisiana Restaurant Association have designated representatives on the task force. Individual task force members who are state employees or elected officials may seek travel reimbursement from their employing agencies, and legislative members may seek per diem from their respective chambers. The task force creates obligations for state and local agencies to respond to requests for data analysis, particularly regarding impaired driving arrests, prosecution rates, conviction trends, and refusal rates for chemical testing.

This legislation operates within Louisiana's existing framework governing impaired driving enforcement and prevention, coordinating with the Louisiana Statewide Impaired Driving Plan and the Strategic Highway Safety Plan already managed by the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission. The task force framework aligns with Title 49 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes, which governs motor vehicles and traffic regulations, and incorporates existing statutory provisions concerning driving while intoxicated and related impaired driving offenses. The legislation implicitly acknowledges Louisiana's substance abuse regulatory structure through the participation of the Commissioner of Alcohol and Tobacco Control and the Assistant Secretary of Behavioral Health. By requiring state agencies to provide cooperation and assistance without cost limitations beyond their own funding constraints, the bill creates potential administrative burden that must be accommodated within existing agency budgets unless the legislature provides supplemental appropriations. The task force's authority to adopt and promulgate rules necessary to implement its functions operates within the Governor's executive power and the constitutional framework governing Louisiana's state government organization.