Louisiana Revised Statutes Tit. 3, § 322. Rural Development Fund

A. Funds received by the office of rural development under this Chapter or otherwise made available for the purpose of this Chapter shall be deposited immediately upon receipt into the state treasury.

B. After compliance with the requirements of Article VII, Section 9(B) of the Constitution of Louisiana, relative to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, and prior to monies being placed in the state general fund, an amount equal to that deposited as required in Subsection A of this Section and monies appropriated by the legislature shall be credited to a special fund hereby created in the state treasury to be known as the “Rural Development Fund”. The monies in this fund shall be used solely as provided in Subsection C of this Section and only in the amounts appropriated by the legislature. All unexpended and unencumbered monies in this fund at the end of the fiscal year shall remain in the fund. The monies in this fund shall be invested by the state treasurer in the same manner as monies in the state general fund, and interest earned on the investment of these monies shall be credited to this fund, again following compliance with the requirements of Article VII, Section 9(B) of the Constitution of Louisiana, relative to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund.

C. The monies in the Rural Development Fund shall be used by the office of rural development solely to fund projects developed and coordinated jointly by the office of rural development and the Department of Transportation and Development in rural areas of this state and for the administration and implementation of the provisions of this Chapter.

D. The Rural Development Fund is hereby authorized to receive monies from the sale of general obligation bonds of the state issued pursuant to Article VII, Section 6 of the Constitution of Louisiana. Such proceeds are to be used for the constitutionally permissible purposes of making capital improvements, providing relief from natural catastrophes, or for the matching of federal funds received for such purposes.