Louisiana
Landry shakes up Louisiana Economic Development agency • Louisiana Illuminator
Gov. Jeff Landry signed a bill into law Tuesday that restructures the Louisiana Economic Development (LED) agency, eliminates labor union representation from its board, and exempts the agency from certain state purchasing laws that have caused bureaucratic delays.
Senate Bill 494, sponsored by Sen. Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton, attracted scant attention during a recent legislative session with a number of more controversial measures. Nevertheless, the governor held a news conference to commemorate his signing of the bill.
It gives the LED secretary discretion to reverse the denial of any LED incentives for businesses that lose them by missing a filing deadline or failing to meet a requirement as the result of an event beyond their control. LED offers billions worth of corporate incentives with generous tax breaks, such as the Quality Jobs tax credit, film tax credit, Industrial Tax Exemption Program, Restoration Tax Abatement, Angel Investor Tax Credit, and many others.
Mizell’s bill also eliminates several of the agency’s executive positions, including the undersecretary and assistant secretaries, giving the secretary more autonomy to tailor LED’s leadership roster.
The bill changes some of the qualification requirements that were in place for appointees to the LED board of directors. Notably, it removes a requirement that one of the board seats be chosen from a list of private sector individuals submitted by the Louisiana chapter of the AFL-CIO, which is the largest labor union federation in the country. The new qualification for that seat is a private sector individual with experience as a startup founder.
Mizell’s bill establishes a new 11-member advisory committee called the Louisiana Economic Development Partnership. It is charged with advising LED on project opportunities, strategies and incentive programs to promote growth in the state.
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The governor has authority to appoint nine of the committee members — one from within each of the state’s eight economic regions, and one at-large member. The Louisiana Legislature gets to appoint the remaining two committee members.
Lastly, the new law exempts LED from state procurement laws related to the purchasing of information technology (IT) equipment, software and services. LED no longer has to go through the state Office of Technology Services for those kinds of purchases, though it will still be subject to state bid laws and legislative oversight.
“It’s taking them ridiculous amounts of time to get simple services and get programs mobilized … It’s time-intensive, and it’s cost-intensive,” Sen. Heather Cloud, R-Turkey Creek, said on the Senate floor last month.
The Senate Finance Committee had heard testimony during a May 6 hearing that the procurement process for basic IT services was taking between nine and 12 months, Cloud said.
At Tuesday’s press conference, LED Secretary Susan Bourgeois praised the legislation, which takes effect immediately, though the changes to the procurement process will occur through a transition that will be final by June 30, 2025.
“Senate Bill 494 is one of the most consequential pieces of legislation ever passed as it relates to economic development in Louisiana,” Bourgeois said. “It completely reimagines the visioning, planning and oversight of our economic development efforts. It creates a private-sector-focused advisory board. It gives LED the freedom to streamline procurement, leverage new technology and compete at the speed of business.”
A state lawmaker whose district includes Iberville and nine other parishes will lead the way on the drawing of a new congressional map when the committee convenes Friday.
Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen, will chair the hearings to draw a new congressional district map. He currently serves as chairman of the U.S. Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee.
On Wednesday, Kleinpeter said he has not worked on any maps. He is letting the committee members and the members of the Senate work on this with staff.
The move will come nine days after the U.S. Supreme Court on a 6-3 vote ruled one of Louisiana’s two majority-Black U.S. House districts unconstitutional.
“We can’t base it on race anymore, so the minority party is the Democrats,” he said. “The Democrats have migrated away from the New Orléans area, so we’re looking at Democrats versus Republicans, so the minority party — the Democrats — which means it’s more favored toward Baton Rouge.”
The move would work in favor of incumbent 6th District Congressman Cleo Fields, who was a candidate for the race which Gov. Jeff Lndry suspended in the wake of the Supreme Court decision.
The ruling stemmed from Louisiana vs. Callais – a consolidation of Robinson vs. Callais – that centered on racial gerrymandering and redistricting in the state of Louisiana following the 2020 United States census. The lead plaintiff, Phillip “Bert” Callais, is a resident of Brusly.
The Supreme Court vote came despite the African American population comprising nearly one-third of the state’s population.
According to the 2020 Census, the Black or African American population in Louisiana was approximately 1,464,023,representing 31.4%of the state’s total population. Louisiana has one of the highest percentages of Black residents in the United States, ranking second behind Mississippi.
The Baton Rouge district would likely be the area to undergo the remap, he said.
It amounts to an intricate balancing act.
“What far-right Republicans don’t understand is that with Congress maps, you have to be within 776, 280 votes – within 50 votes of the other districts,” Kleinpeter said. “It’s not like our legislative maps where you can be off by thousands … when you start changing a precinct, it can run down a rabbit hole chasing this precinct over here and over there.
“We can easily draw a really strong nine Republican and one strong Democrat, so if you start watering districts down you could wind up with a 4-2 map.”
Republicans currently have a two-vote super majority vote.
“But some Republican districts are strong and others are weak,” Kleinpeter said. “If you take 58 percent Democrats and put them in Republican districts, you could end up losing Republicans.
“Drawing congress maps is very difficult – you have the leader of the party, and you have the Speaker of the House you have to protect,” he said. “You don’t want to jeopardize their maps at hole.”
One other issue is looming for the state, Kleinpeter said.
“What people don’t understand is that we will have to do this all over again in five years, after the next census comes out,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll people by that time.”
The 2030 Census will play a key role in the process, but it still requires participation.
“I had plenty of next-door neighbors who didn’t want to fill out their census” he said. “I’m going to push to fill out their census. We miss out on federal money and potentially risk losing a seat. “
Neuty, the iconic Bucktown nutria visits the state capitol, with Myra Lacoste, Denny Lacoste, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, Dennis Lacoste Sr., and Louisiana state Senator J. Cameron Henry Jr. Neuty was an orphan, rescued by the Lacostes. In March 2023, LDWF agents attempted to confiscate the illegal pet.
VIDALIA, La. — Louisiana State Police arrested 18-year-old Gregory Steele early Sunday morning on two counts of vehicular homicide, one count of underage operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, one count vehicular negligent injuring and one count careless operation, according to Concordia Parish Jail records.
Steele, 18, a white male, was arrested in connection with an accident that occurred at approximately 1:54 a.m. on Sunday morning on Minorca Road in Vidalia. Two passengers in the vehicle were killed. Steele and another passenger were able to escape the vehicle.
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