2020 Louisiana Laws
Revised Statutes
Title 34 - Navigation and Shipping
§3522. Rights and powers for economic and industrial growth
RS 3522 - Rights and powers for economic and industrial growth
A. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, a commission of a port, other than a deep water port, with a population of not less than two hundred fifty thousand and not more than four hundred thousand within its jurisdiction may perform the following functions but shall not be limited to:
(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) Using public and other legal powers to facilitate development.
(8) Promoting transfer mechanisms to take ideas from the point of origin and development to commercially successful utilization by local enterprise.
(9) Fostering entrepreneurial activity in the port area.
(10) Promoting the development of new products, processes, or services or new uses for existing products, processes, or services manufactured or marketed in the port area.
(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 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 port area.
(13) Acquiring and operating air cargo airports within its territorial jurisdiction together with all property and facilities located therein, and any land as the commission may deem necessary for the present and future operations of such air cargo airports.
B. For the purposes enumerated in Subsection A of this Section, the commission may engage in any activities and projects it deems most appropriate to encourage and assist economic growth and development in the port area.
C. In furtherance of the rights and powers enumerated in Subsections A and B of this Section, the commission shall not be subject in any respect to the authority, control, or supervision of any parish or municipal regulatory body.
Acts 2020, No. 43, §1, eff. June 4, 2020.
