§556.9. Collections

A. The assessments provided for in R.S. 3:556.6 shall be collected at the first point of sale in Louisiana. The person selling the artificial bait or crawfish bags shall collect the assessments.

B. Each person who collects the assessments shall remit the collections to the department on or before the fifteenth day after each quarter.

C. The assessments shall be included in the purchase price of the artificial bait or the crawfish bags each time the artificial bait or the bags are sold until they are purchased by a crawfish farmer or harvester.

D. Each person who collects an assessment shall place a stamp or seal on each unit of artificial bait for which the assessment has been collected. The stamp or seal shall be supplied by the department and shall be in the size, shape, and design approved by the board.

E. The board may impose a civil penalty for failure to collect and remit assessments in accordance with the provisions of this Section. Civil penalties shall be imposed in accordance with the following provisions:

(1) The civil penalty shall not exceed one hundred dollars per violation.

(2) Each day on which a violation occurs shall be considered a separate offense.

(3) Civil penalties may be assessed only by a ruling of the board based on an adjudicatory hearing held in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.

(4) The board may institute civil proceedings to enforce its rulings in the district court for the parish in which the violation occurred.

Added by Acts 1983, No. 679, §1. Amended by Acts 1985, No. 330, §1; Acts 1985, No. 492, §1; Acts 1986, No. 547, §1; Acts 1987, No. 133, §1.