By George Swift

The regular session of the Louisiana State Legislature is now in session. As the “Voice for Business” representing over 1,200 members, The Chamber SWLA will advocate for issues that affect our business community and strengthen the entire state for all citizens.

As a major priority of The Chamber the last five years, advocacy continues for increased funding for a new I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge at Lake Charles.  The Chamber SWLA’s I-10 Bridge Task Force has pushed this project into action.

The Federal infrastructure plan provided enough money to fund the bridge, however the funding went to the state.  The Governor and the legislature determine the distribution of the funds.  In his budget, Gov. John Bel Edwards has allocated another $100 million for the I-10 Bridge.

Coupled with other commitments, this would have the state putting up about $300 million for the bridge which is expected to cost at least $850 million. The Governor also proposed $500 million for the I-10 Bridge in Baton Rouge. Our bridge project needs additional funds to go with an expected toll so those toll rates will be low.

There are several pieces of legislation to address mega-projects including our bridge.  Rep. Phillip Tarver has introduced legislation to fully fund the bridge. Of course, the I-10 Bridge is not the only infrastructure need in our region, so we support priority projects in all five parishes, such as a ferry replacement in Cameron Parish.

We support federal stimulus funding to replenish the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund to avoid a tax increase on business and again we support centralized sales tax collection to simplify business tax payments over multiple jurisdictions. This constitutional amendment almost passed last year. There was confusion as to how this would be administered which can be clarified in new legislation.

Last year the legislature finally approved mandatory kindergarten. This needs to be adequately funded along with improved STEM education in all grade levels. This is necessary for the long-term improvement of our state’s poverty rate. We support increased funding for McNeese State University and Sowela Technical Community College to enhance educational opportunities and operations for workforce development.   

A critical need in our state which we support is insurance reform as thousands continue to grapple with insurance settlements so they can rebuild and legislative action is needed. Freshman Sen. Jeremy Stine has introduced a suite of bills to address the various issues for improvement in insurance adjusting and payments to be done in a timely fashion.

Among other important issues for the Chamber SWLA are:

 Renewal of the Quality Jobs Program which is essential for expansion of existing industry and attracting new industry.

 Reduction in the number of occupational licenses which make it more difficult for individuals to enter the workforce.

 Ensuring  patient access to mental health services for the workforce.

 Supporting coastal restoration projects.

Louisiana will be a stronger state with citizen involvement on these and many other issues.  The Chamber SWLA will be there to support our members and the business community.

We thank our Legislators for their willingness to serve and we hope for a productive session.

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George Swift is president/CEO of the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance. Contact him at 337-433-3632 or gswift@allianceswla.org.