State Senator Mike Smith of Winnfield, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, interviewed after adjournment that the Regular Session of 2003 "was a tough one."

"There were a lot of bills filed this session that we had to work through," the two-term legislator said. "We got most of the really important things that we wanted for folks in the District through the Legislature. Some things will have to wait for next year because we were really tight for money."

"It was a tough fight to get the voluntary inspection program for log trucks in place," Sen. Smith said. "I was able to initially get both the voluntary inspection and the weight tolerance bills through the Senate. However, when the bills got to the House committee they were killed," the 31st District Senator said. "So, when Rep. Juba Diaz sent some House bills that he really wanted passed over to the Senate, I tacked my two log truck bills on his bills as amendments."

"However, when the bills with my amendments got back to the conference committee, Rep. Diaz again took my bills off," Smith said. "So at that point I decided to go over and meet face to face with Rep. Diaz. I told him point-blank that things were fixing to get real tough for anything that he wanted passed on the Senate side if I couldn't anything passed to help my loggers back home. He finally agreed to let the voluntary inspection program for log trucks pass into law. I think that this voluntary inspection program will help keep the log haulers from losing so much time sitting on the side of the road for an inspection from the DOTD or State Police."

Both State Representatives Taylor Townsend of Natchitoches and Jim Fannin of Jonesboro echoed Sen. Smith's sentiments on the difficulty of getting the logging bills through the Legislature. Rep. Townsend told the Journal in the hallway of the State Capitol, "The thing that disturbs me about the opposition to these bills aimed at helping the log haulers was where the opposition was coming from."

"The opposition was not so much from the DOTD and State Police, but from sources that should have been supporting the logging industry," said Townsend, who represents Natchitoches and part of Winn parishes. "It is hard for me to understand why people would oppose a measure that was of no detriment to anyone but would help make the plight of the logger a little less severe."

Rep. Fannin also pointed out the jockeying going on to get the voluntary inspection of log trucks in place. "I was not originally in favor of Rep. Diaz's bill that would allow him to build some bridges in his district, but when we were able to get our amendment on his bill for the truck inspection, I had to vote for his bill."

"Also, there was a bill filed that would have required loggers to obtain permits before logging on any tract in Louisiana," Rep. Fannin pointed out. "This bill from a Representative in South Louisiana came before the House Agriculture and Forestry committee that I served on. Fortunately we were able to derail the bill without much trouble but we have to be very diligent abut such action in the future."

"One thing that I was really pleased to see pass and become law was the Trespass Bill," Rep. Fannin stated. "With this new Trespass Law, instead of having to paint lines all around your property and put up posted signs, your land is automatically posted by law against trespassing. This new law protects you from lawsuits by people who are trespassing, as well at makes it illegal to be on land that you do not own without permission. You can go on someone else's property to retrieve your dog or cow or horse without permission, but in most cases you must have written permission to go onto property that you do not own."

Rep. Fannin was attending his first Legislative session after winning a special election to serve the unexpired term of Rodney Alexander, who was elected to the U.S. Congress last year.

Two Joint Resolutions of the House and Senate relating to the timber and forestry industry passed during the recent session.

One Resolution asks the U.S. Congress to consider removing some of the restrictions on laws that prohibit sawmills from selling their product directly to the public. The other asks Congress to give the same motor fuels tax credits to fuels produced from wood as is given to artificial fuels such as ethanol produced from corn or wheat.

Travis Taylor, Winn Parish logger and president of the Louisiana Logging Council, was instrumental in getting the voluntary inspection program legislation in place, as well as the two resolutions on sale of products and motor fuels.

"I feel very strongly that the voluntary inspection program can work to the benefit of the loggers," Taylor stated. "It will be much quicker and easier to have a voluntary inspection in a safe place, instead of on the side of a busy highway. It is voluntary. If you want to participate, fine. If you don't, still okay. But the ones of us who do take advantage of this program will soon see its benefits."

"On the Resolution asking Congress to remove some restrictions to allow sawmills to sell their lumber direct to the consumer is an effort to help level the playing field due to all the imported lumber," Taylor said. "Right now things are way out of proportion for the U.S. lumber and logging industry. You can go down to your local lumber yard in the Piney Woods and buy lumber from Germany, Austria, and South America, plus Canada. You will probably not find much lumber in the local lumber yards grown and manufactured in the Piney Woods of Louisiana. This Resolution is all about trying to help loggers and sawmills stay in business."

Taylor said, "On the Resolution asking Congress for the same tax benefit for fuels made from wood, this is only fair since the corn and wheat producers get tax incentives for producing motor fuels from their products. We need some relief on several fronts or the logging industry as we have known is will all but disappear in the next few years."

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