By Stacey Tinsley
A bill aimed at helping the Port of Caddo-Bossier engage in economic development, and supported by the Bossier Parish Police Jury, passed out of a Senate committee Thursday.
Louisiana Senate Bill 421, (SB 421), sponsored by Republican Senator Barrow Peacock, District 37, allows the port to engage in marketing to encourage and assist economic growth and development in the port area (industrial park).
The bill is local and does not pertain to other ports.
In committee, there was one card in support from the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and no opposition.
SB 421 includes:
- Public relations, advertising, marketing and providing and disseminating information.
- Planning and coordination for economic development and resource utilization, including such functions as industrial and economic research and industrial programming and solicitation.
- Fostering entrepreneurial activity in the port area.
- 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.
- 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.
- Fostering the 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.
Click here for our previous story explaining the bill support from the Bossier Parish Police Jury.
