Hammett, District 21 seat representative in the House of Representatives since 1992, will step down effective June 30, to take a job in the State Office of Community Development. Hammett will be in charge of a team overseeing disaster recovery for state and government infrastructure impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Hammett will be one of four managers who will oversee different segments of the recovery &8212; all-working under the disaster recovery director in the development office.

&8220;I had a lot of soul searching to do,&8221; Hammett said on the departure from legislature. &8220;This has been a huge part of my life, but being a part of the biggest disaster relief effort in the history of the United States is a unique opportunity I couldn&8217;t pass up.&8221; The Louisiana recovery Authority and the governor&8217;s office have set aside approximately $1.2 billion to deal with necessary infrastructure elements such as buildings, water systems, drainage, roads and sewage. Most of the money that comes down will be used to match available FEMA funds to provide for several billion dollars in infrastructure improvement, Hammett said. &8220;We went into special session in November and created this position specifically to handle reconstruction tasks from Hurricanes Rita and Katrina,&8221; Hammett said. &8220;I didn&8217;t pay much attention to it when we created it and not long ago someone said I ought to look at it. After I started going through the job description I realized this was a job written for me.&8221; The job, which requires a high level of experience, is one Hammett can do while continuing his business in Ferriday. After the first interview, Hammett said, a requests was made that he &8220;divest himself from it completely,&8221; of which Hammett said he could not do to the business that has stood behind him. After that stand and a professional ethics evaluation, the committee decided the job could be done allowing ownership of his Bryant Hammett and Associates Engineering firm in Ferriday without conflicting the new position. &8220;I&8217;ve talked to people that work with me and everybody&8217;s on board,&8221; Hammett said. &8220;This way I can keep ownership of my business and take the temporary job. This is a unique time in my political career and my personal life.&8221; Hammett is a registered professional civil engineer, a registered professional environmental engineer and a registered professional land surveyor. He is the chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. &8220;This is a tremendous loss for us and the legislature,&8221; Vidalia Mayor Hyram Copeland said. &8220;Without his participation many of our projects would not have been a reality. That is a big undertaking, but if anyone can do it, he can.&8221;