Cortez (SB 64) Act No. 595
Prior law provided for the general powers of airport authorities and authorizes airport
authorities to make contracts for a fixed term of no longer than 10 years and to dedicate
excess future revenues above statutory, necessary, and usual charges subject to approval of
the State Bond and Tax Board.
New law changes prior law reference to board to the State Bond Commission.
Prior law authorized the Lafayette Airport Commission to issue bonds or other debt
obligations to construct, acquire, extend, or improve any revenue producing work of public
improvements subject to approval of the State Bond Commission and the Lafayette Parish
Police Jury. New law changes reference to parish police jury to the Lafayette City-Parish
Council.
New law authorizes the commission to perform the functions of an economic and industrial
development entity which functions may include but shall not be limited to the following:
(1)Public relations, advertising, marketing, and providing and disseminating
information.
(2)Government relations, ombudsman, and government liaison.
(3)Financial and financing assistance.
(4)Tax abatement.
(5)Planning and coordination for economic development and resource utilization,
including such functions as industrial and economic research and industrial
programming and solicitation.
(6)Industrial training, technical assistance, and technology transfer.
(7)The use of public and other legal powers to facilitate development.
(8)Promoting transfer mechanisms to take ideas from their point of origin and
development to commercially successful utilization by local enterprises.
(9)Fostering entrepreneurial activity for the Lafayette Regional Airport.
(10)Promoting the development of new products, processes, or services or new uses for
existing products, processes, or services manufactured or marketed for the Lafayette
Regional Airport.
(11)Supporting market research aimed at identifying new markets for local or regional
products and processes, including international markets; determining the
characteristics, needs and preferences of those markets; and developing new
marketing techniques to exploit those markets.
(12)Fostering and supporting economic and industrial development and education in
cooperation with private business enterprises, financial institutions, educational
institutions, nonprofit institutions and organizations, state government and political
subdivisions of the state, the federal government, and other organizations or persons
concerned with research, development, education, commercial application, and
economic or industrial development in ways which increase the economic base of the
Lafayette Regional Airport.
New law provides that for such enumerated purposes, the Lafayette Airport Commission may
engage in whatever activities and projects it deems most appropriate to encourage and assist
economic growth and development, including but not limited to the following:
(1)To plan, acquire, construct, improve, maintain, equip, operate, regulate and protect
economic development facilities, including the acquisition, maintenance and
operation of buildings and other facilities, and the purchase of and sale of supplies, goods, and commodities as an incident to the operation of its properties. For such
purposes an authority may, by purchase, gift, or lease, acquire property, movable or
immovable, or any interest therein, including easements in land outside the
boundaries of such facility site.
(2)To establish or acquire and maintain economic development facilities in, over, and
upon any public waters of this state, any submerged lands under such public water;
and to construct and maintain buildings, landing floats, causeways, roadways, and
bridges for approaches to or connecting with any such facilities, and landing floats
and breakwaters for the protection thereof.
Effective August 1, 2014.
(Amends R.S. 2:604(6) and (7) and 604.1(A)(1)(intro para), (2), (4) and (B); adds R.S.
2:604.2)