The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part of the
legislative instrument, were prepared by James Benton.
DIGEST
SB 472 Original 2024 Regular Session Barrow
Present law provides 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 Commission.
Proposed law authorizes airport commissions in any parish with a population of not less than
400,000 persons and no more than 500,000 persons based on the latest federal decennial census, 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 airport located in the parish.
(10)Promoting the development of new products, processes, or services or new uses for existing
products, processes, or services manufactured or marketed for the airport located in the
parish.
(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 airport located in the parish.
Proposed law provides that for such enumerated purposes, the airport located in the parish 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, real or personal, 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, 2024.
(Adds R.S. 2:614)