§667. Hearings on applications for charter

A. All hearings on applications for charters shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act relating to adjudicatory hearings.

B. The commissioner of agriculture shall fix the date of the hearing and shall provide notice by mail, at least ten days prior to the hearing, to each Louisiana livestock organization which has requested notice of the hearings to other Louisiana livestock organizations which the commissioner believes would be interested in the hearing, and to each owner of a chartered livestock auction market.

C. The commissioner shall publish a notice of the hearing on two separate days in the official journal of the state and in the official journal of the municipality or parish in which the proposed public livestock market will be located.

D. The board shall consider the following factors in determining whether or not a charter should be granted:

(1) The financial stability, business integrity, and fiduciary responsibility of the applicant.

(2) The adequacy of the facilities to be used.

(3) The present market services elsewhere available to the trade area to be served by the proposed public livestock market.

(4) Whether the proposed public livestock market would be permanent and continuous.

(5) The benefits to be derived by the livestock industry from the establishment and operation of the proposed public livestock market.

(6) The economic feasibility of the proposed public livestock market.

E. If the board finds the applicant to be qualified to operate a public livestock market, the board shall grant the charter. If the board finds that the applicant is not qualified to operate a public livestock market or has failed to comply with the requirements of this Part, the board shall deny the charter.

Added by Acts 1966, No. 142, §1. Amended by Acts 1968, No. 220, §1; Acts 1982, No. 443, §1 eff. Jan. 1, 1983.