BATON ROUGE, La. (KALB) – After strong public pushback, a drafted proposal to transfer portions of Louisiana’s only national forest to the local jurisdiction of Grant Parish faces stronger opposition at the state capitol.

Grant Parish’s State Representative Michael “Gabe” Firment filed HR343 on May 26 to vocalize opposition to a grassroots proposal under consideration by Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy that would create new classifications for Grant Parish, as well as transfer Kisatchie National Forest lands to the Grant Parish Police Jury and School Board. Due to the land’s status as a national forest, it falls under federal jurisdiction, requiring an act of Congress for transfer purposes.

“I think the people behind that proposal were well-intended…Senator Cassidy probably had good intentions, but, the will of the people, not just in Grant Parish, but in Central Louisiana, across the state…I’ve even been contacted by people from outside of Louisiana, 100 percent are opposed to the idea of transferring Kisatchie.”

If passed, HR343 would voice an official stance of opposition from the state legislature against the land-transfer proposal and “further urge increased federal and state investment in outdoor recreation, conservation, tourism, and family-friendly opportunities associated with the forest.” That declaration would also be sent to the U.S. Congress and relevant federal parties for consideration.

“It is just a House resolution. It has no binding authority, but, we’re going to send this to our congressional delegation, to, of course, Senator Cassidy, Senator Kennedy, the head of the Forest Service.”

Filed within the last week of the 2026 legislative session, State Rep. Firment said he plans to file for an exception to the standard legislative process by bypassing the committee process, and therefore sending HR343 immediately to the Louisiana House floor for a vote. On May 27, he successfully bypassed the standard committee reading process.

You can read the full, unamended HR343 below.

The initially drafted land-transfer proposal was made with the intention to get Grant Parish in an economically ‘available’ position by additionally redefining certain federal data and definitions, and, in turn, allowing the parish to meet the requirements for some federal programs.

Firment disagreed with the draft’s arguments, criticizing the Kisatchie’s economic viability, a topic that has been in the crosshairs of regional leaders for years, saying, “I think outdoor recreation is economic development, and so, we definitely need to be encouraging more investment at the federal level…Instead of looking at transferring the forest to the locals, why not spend a little money and take care of it?”

“I’m opposed to the great majority of the proposal. If you’re going to do something like this, you certainly need to reach out to your state representatives, your state senators, you need to have town hall meetings where people are invited.”

After garnering publicity, the Grant Parish Police Jury distanced itself from the proposal, denying involvement in the proposal’s drafting process and passing a motion to officially oppose the land-transfer proposal.