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STATE OF LOUISIANA <br /> pf �o DEPARTMENT OF STATE CIVIL SERVICE <br /> LOUISIANA BOARD OF ETHICS <br /> 5q P 0.BOX 4368 <br /> "EE `^3� BATON ROUGE,LA 70821 <br /> ` (225)219-5600 <br /> FAX:(225)381-7271 <br /> 1-800-8426630 <br /> www.etnics.la.9w <br /> July 10,2023 <br /> Judy Dupuy <br /> Chair, La. Crime Victims Reparations Board <br /> La. Commission on Law Enforcement and <br /> Administration of Criminal Justice <br /> P.O. Box 3133 <br /> Baton Rouge,Louisiana 70821-3133 <br /> Re: Docket No. 2023-427 <br /> Advisory Opinion <br /> Dear Ms. Dupuy: <br /> The Louisiana Board of Ethics, at its meeting on July 7, 2023, considered your request for an <br /> advisory opinion on behalf of the Louisiana Crime Victims Reparations Board as to whether the <br /> Code of Governmental Ethics ("Code") prohibits appointed board members from providing <br /> services to clients and being reimbursed through the Louisiana Crime Victims Reparations Board. <br /> FACTS PROVIDED <br /> The Louisiana Crime Victims Reparations Board (`Reparations Board") was created in 1982 to <br /> assist victims of crimes and their families by providing reimbursements for costs such as medical <br /> expenses, lost wages, and funeral expenses.The Reparations Board operates under the jurisdiction <br /> of the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice <br /> ("LCLE") within the Office of the Governor pursuant to La. R.S. 46:1803(A). The Reparations <br /> Board consists of the executive director of the LCLE and ten other members who are appointed by <br /> the Governor. The Reparations Board members serve without compensation. <br /> The Reparations Board conducts monthly meetings to review applications for eligibility and <br /> awards and to verify that a person is a victim of crime. In makings its decisions on an application, <br /> the Reparations Board considers medical treatment for physical injuries sustained, as well as <br /> offense reports. For mental health counseling applications,the Reparations Board contracts with a <br /> mental health counselor to review the applications for reimbursement of mental health costs. <br /> By Act 487 of the 2022 Regular Session, the Legislature expanded the program benefits and <br /> provided additional means for persons to use when filing an application for an award. Act 487 <br /> deleted a specific requirement of reporting to law enforcement and replaced it with a broader <br /> requirement that an application is valid only if"reasonable documentation of the crime resulting <br /> in the personal injury, death, or catastrophic property loss is submitted with the application." La. <br /> R.S. 46:1806. "Reasonable documentation" of the crime can include a"certification of the crime <br /> Page 1 of 7 (BD 2023-427) <br /> AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER <br />