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STATE OF LOUISIANA <br /> 'PotoUj DEPARTMENT OF STATE CIVIL SERVICE <br /> ., oy- <br /> s4. <br /> ••Q, (� „ LOUISIANA BOARD OF ETHICS <br /> iw;-; P.O. BOX 4368 <br /> ll BATON ROUGE,LA 70821 <br /> �' (225)219-5600 <br /> FAX:(225)381-7271 <br /> 1-800-842-6630 <br /> www.ethics.la.gov <br /> August 21,2017 <br /> Mr. Blaise St. Blanc <br /> P.O. Box 409 <br /> Eunice,Louisiana 70535 <br /> Re: Louisiana Board of Ethics <br /> Docket No. 2017-748 <br /> Dear Mr. St. Blanc, <br /> The Louisiana Board of Ethics, at its August 18, 2017, meeting, considered your request for an <br /> advisory opinion as to whether the Code of Governmental Ethics (Code) would prohibit Louisi- <br /> ana Structural Movers, Inc. d/b/a DeVillier House Movers (DeVillier House Movers) from par- <br /> ticipating in a home elevation project in Eunice. <br /> You are the Project Manager for DeVillier House Movers, which is owned by Representative <br /> Phillip DeVillier,District 41. In Docket No. 2014-1563, details were provided as to the nature of <br /> the business of DeVillier House Movers; in particular, as it relates to entering into a contract <br /> with a homeowner where funds are provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency <br /> (FEMA) through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.You now seek an advisory opinion as to <br /> a specific home elevation project. <br /> You provided that there is currently a home in Eunice that has suffered multiple flood events. In <br /> connection with Hurricane Ike, which was declared a major disaster on September 13, 2008, <br /> FEMA has provided funds through a Hazard Mitigation Grant for the home to be relocated. In <br /> this case, funds have been allocated to the Acadia Parish Police Jury,which has hired Quality En- <br /> gineering and Surveying LLC as their grant manager. The homeowner has received the required <br /> three bids and selected DeVillier House Movers to elevate the home. The grant pays 75% of the <br /> costs, with the homeowner paying the other 25% directly to the Acadia Parish Police Jury. All <br /> payments received by DeVillier House Movers would be paid by the Acadia Parish Police Jury. <br /> The Board concluded,and instructed me to inform you, that DeVillier House Movers would not <br /> be prohibited from entering into the contract with the homeowners to receive the Hazard Miti- <br /> gation Grant funds through the Acadia Parish Police Jury. As explained in Docket No. 2014- <br /> 1563, La. R.S. 42:1114.3A(1) prohibits a legislator, or any corporation, partnership, or other legal <br /> entity in which he owns an interest of greater than 5%, from entering into any contract that is <br /> directed to addressing the needs directly emanating from a gubernatorially declared disaster or <br /> emergency and he knows or reasonably should know that the contracts or subcontract is funded <br /> AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER <br />