The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) released today an analysis of the results of the recently-completed regular session of the Louisiana Legislature, and its effects on economic development in the nine-parish Capital Region. The number one priority of BRAC’s legislative agenda was higher education, specifically through its membership in the statewide BILD: Higher Education coalition. The session results are summarized in an issue brief released today, which can be viewed at www.brac.org/research.
“In a session dominated by the state’s budget crisis, the Baton Rouge area saw significant successes on many different fronts,” stated Adam Knapp, BRAC’s President and CEO. “In our review, we found that the passage of dramatic pieces of reform legislation and targeted capital investments will better position us for continued economic competitiveness. The good far outweighed the bad.”
Overall, the session produced a number of meaningful outcomes that will be highly-beneficial to the Baton Rouge area. These include:
Higher education reform: The Louisiana Granting Resources and Autonomy for Diplomas Act (LA GRAD Act) was by-far BRAC’s number one priority during the legislative session, and its most intense area of legislative action. In the long term, BRAC estimates that the LA GRAD Act could be the most important piece of legislation for the future of Louisiana State University in its mission to become a flagship public research university. For Southern University, Baton Rouge Community College, and River Parishes Community College, it will also provide critical resources and lead to performance improvements, appropriate enrollment shifts, and other important reforms. Although state funding cuts to higher education continue to be a concern, the LA GRAD Act is a bright spot for the future.
Public education reform: The current state of many of the public school districts in the Capital Region, as well as the state as a whole, demand large-scale public education reforms. BRAC estimates that the 2010 regular session may have been the best session for education reform in the last five years. During the session, eliminating micromanagement of school board members in personnel matters, increasing teacher performance and accountability through evaluations and incentives linked to student achievement, and allowing schools and districts apply for four-year waivers of state laws or Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) policies were all much-needed reforms that will allow Louisiana to continue improving the educational outcomes that are necessary in a 21st century society.
Transportation solutions: Transportation issues continue to rank as one of top concerns of the Baton Rouge area business community. On the whole, significant steps were taken during the session to advance short- and long-term transportation solutions. To address near-term traffic congestion concerns, the legislature committed $59 million toward BRAC-supported regional traffic congestion projects, including the widening of I-12 and I-10 and the Pecue Lane interchange, bringing the three-year total funding for these priorities to $266 million. In terms of longer-term transportation solutions, funding to advance the Baton Rouge loop project was a critical outcome of session and one strongly supported by BRAC. Alternative transportation solutions were also advanced, including a mechanism by which local communities could participate in the development of a high-speed rail line between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, and creating a new mass transit funding source for the Capital Area Transit System (CATS).
University research park: Major public research universities often have public/private developments associated with their activities that will attract and spur innovation to commercialize. Through the capital outlay bill, the legislature committed the necessary funds toward the creation of true university research park at LSU’s South Campus.
Economic development funding: The legislature ultimately protected economic development project funding in the Louisiana Mega-Project Development Fund, the Rapid Response Fund, and for regional marketing activities, which are critical to regional economic development activities such as BRAC’s. The legislature also passed an important development financing vehicle for Baton Rouge’s River Park Development District.
As successful as BRAC was during the session, there were some important pieces of legislation that failed to gain passage. These include an angel investment incentive, a low-cost air carrier incentive, school board term limits, a third-party charter school authorizer, and a more robust healthcare mandate review law.
About the Baton Rouge Area Chamber
The Baton Rouge Area Chamber leads economic development in the nine-parish Baton Rouge metropolitan area. Serving as the voice of the business community, BRAC’s membership includes more than 1,500 organizations whose employees represent over a third of the Capital Region workforce.
