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.
New Orleans Pelicans get millions in incentives for creating ‘quality jobs’ for NBA players
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.”
Louisiana ranks among the top 10 most affordable states to retire, according to a new study from Retirement Living, a national journal of retirement research.
Researchers analyzed each state’s housing costs, living expenses and tax friendliness to compile the ranking. Louisiana, they say, is the eighth most affordable state for retirees.
In Louisiana, the median monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $932, the median home sale price is $255,000, monthly grocery spend per capita is $272, the average price per gallon of regular gas is $4, the average Medicare Advantage monthly premium is $13.35 and the average effective property tax rate is 0.55%.
West Virginia is the most affordable state to retire, followed by Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Louisiana, Indiana and Kansas. Researchers describe the South as “the sweet spot for an affordable retirement.”
The most expensive state to retire, meanwhile, is California, followed by Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Utah, New York and Minnesota.
Read Retirement Living’s full report here.
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – With hurricane season approaching, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority is bringing the community together to prepare before a storm forms.
“We can’t stop disasters from happening. We can’t stop hurricanes from happening. But what we can do is equip our communities with the resources that they need to prepare for these storms ahead of time,” said Jayda Morris, CPRA outreach manager.
The agency hosted an event featuring interactive storm simulations and a full model of the Mississippi River.
“If you do it now, like on a sunny day like today, you’re ready to go for the rest of the season,” Jay Grymes said.
El Niño may reduce storms, but Louisiana still at risk
State Climatologist Jay Grymes said an El Niño pattern may reduce the number of storms in the Atlantic but warned against a false sense of security.
“In those 25 years, Louisiana, some part of the state has been impacted by 29 storms. That’s one a year, regardless of El Niño. So that should tell you something,” Grymes said.
He said the bigger concern is storms that can form in the Gulf with little warning.
“If we’re going to get a storm, it very possibly could be one that bubbles up in the Gulf and doesn’t give us five or seven days to track it coming our way. It gives us 40 hours to get ready for a landfall. So it’s imperative that you go ahead and do it now,” Grymes said.
Preparation goes beyond stocking water
Preparing now includes walking through yards, checking trees, and knowing whether everyone in the family can survive two weeks without power.
PhD students with the LSU College of the Coast and Environment gave the community a virtual reality experience that puts users inside a storm.
“If they wear the goggles or play with the Apple Vision Pro, they can understand how high will the flood be, and they can know how dangerous is the hurricane scenario,” said Yixuan Wang.
The VR simulation uses real historical data to show users what compound flooding looks like in New Orleans and surrounding areas. The goal is to make the science real for people who can’t picture what a flood map means.
“It’s just to let you understand the environment. We will add the audios, the different sound of the wind and the storm. And you can see how tense of the rainfall around you,” Wang said.
Organizers said the event is about making sure that when a storm threatens the area, families already know their plan.
Information from the event is available on CPRA’s website. Hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.
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BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Louisiana homeowners can get financial help to upgrade their roofs and ensure they can better stand up to strong storms.
According to the Louisiana Department of Insurance, registration for next Louisiana Fortify Homes Program lottery opens at 8 a.m. on Monday, June 1. The registration period will stay open through 5 p.m. on Friday, June 19.
Under the latest round of the program, 3,000 grants of up to $10,000 will go out. After applying, homeowners will get placed into a lottery and will be randomly selected.
There are many specific benefits of having a roof upgraded through the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program. Officials said the roofs have stronger shingles that can protect against hail up to two inches wide, sealed roof decks to help prevent water damage, and stronger edges to keep wind from getting underneath.
Homeowners with a fortified roof can also get a certificate to receive a discount on insurance premiums.
“At the end of the day, this program is about more than just roofs,” said Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple. “It is about protecting families, it is about strengthening communities, and it is about putting Louisiana in a stronger position—both physically and economically—to face the challenges ahead.”
Only people living in Ascension Parish, Livingston Parish, Assumption Parish, Tangipahoa Parish, Acadia Parish, Calcasieu Parish, Cameron Parish, Iberia Parish, Jefferson Parish, Jefferson Davis Parish, Lafayette Parish, Lafourche Parish, Orleans Parish, Plaquemines Parish, St. Bernard Parish, St. Charles Parish, St. James Parish, St. John the Baptist Parish, St. Martin Parish, St. Mary Parish, St. Tammany Parish, Terrebonne Parish, and Vermilion Parish are eligible to apply for the latest round of the program.
People living in a newly built home, mobile home, or condominium are not qualified.
For a detailed list of eligibility requirements, click here.
If a person registered for the program previously, he or she must do so again. The person will also need to provide the following information:
- A homestead exemption on the primary residence.
- A policy of insurance that provides wind coverage for the primary residence.
- A flood insurance policy on the primary residence if it is in a special flood hazard area.
For more information about applying, click here.
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