HB 687: TRANSPORTATION DEPT: Authorizes the Port of New Orleans to utilize public private partnerships for the St. Bernard Transportation Corridor roadway project (EN SEE FISC NOTE SD EX See Note) - Louisiana

HB687 Original → HB687 Act · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was finalized into an enrolled Act, changing its status from a draft proposal to an enacted law. The scope was expanded to explicitly include bridges, elevated roadways, and utility relocations as part of the project. Funding mechanisms were clarified to allow the Port of New Orleans to accept donations and grants from various sources, while the Department of Transportation's role shifted from requiring approval for all activities to only reviewing projects that impact the state highway system.

Scope change

The bill's scope was broadened to include specific infrastructure types like elevated roadways and utility relocations, and the Department of Transportation's oversight was narrowed to only projects affecting the state highway system.

SCOPE

The definition of the project was updated to explicitly include bridges, elevated roadways, limited-access facilities, and utility relocations.

FISCAL

The board was authorized to accept appropriations, donations, and grants from the federal government, state, public utilities, private entities, and individuals.

REQUIREMENT

The requirement for the Department of Transportation to approve all project activities was removed; they now only need to approve activities that impact the state highway system.

TECHNICAL

The bill text was converted from a draft legislative bill to an enrolled Act, finalizing the legislation.

HB687 Enrolled → HB687 Original · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill text was reorganized and reformatted from an enrolled version to an original draft, resulting in a change from five pages to six pages. The substantive legal content regarding the authorization of a public-private partnership for the St. Bernard Transportation Corridor remains identical, with no changes to funding, eligibility, or project requirements.

TECHNICAL

The document structure was altered to include a header identifying it as 'HLS 25RS-2487 ORIGINAL' and a footer listing 'HB NO. 687', replacing the previous 'ENROLLED' status and different header format.

Page numbering was updated from 'Page 1 of 5' to 'Page 1 of 6' to reflect the new layout.

The order of text blocks was rearranged, moving the introductory purpose statement to the top and shifting the detailed statutory sections to follow, which altered the line-by-line comparison but did not change the law's meaning.

HB687 Reengrossed → HB687 Enrolled · 3 edits · Jun 8, 2025

MINOR

The bill was finalized as an enrolled version, removing internal drafting headers and renumbering the text for official publication. Substantively, the project scope was expanded to include drainage, erosion control, and utility relocations, while the approval process was modified to require Joint Committee consent instead of the Transportation Authority's approval.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to explicitly include drainage, soil erosion control, signage, and utility relocations as part of the transportation facility.

SCOPE

Added specific requirements for drainage infrastructure, soil erosion control, signage, and utility relocations to the project definition.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the approval authority for the final concession agreement from the Louisiana Transportation Authority to the Joint Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works.

TECHNICAL

Removed internal legislative headers, page numbers, and tracking codes from the official enrolled text.

HB687 Engrossed → HB687 Reengrossed · 4 edits · Jun 3, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was reengrossed to add Representatives Hughes, Mena, and Taylor as co-sponsors. Substantive changes include clarifying that the Port of New Orleans Board of Commissioners, rather than just 'the board,' is the entity authorized to pursue the project. The text was reorganized to explicitly name the 'St. Bernard Parish Transportation Corridor' and updated the approval process to require final concession agreement approval by the Joint Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works.

Scope change

The bill's scope was clarified to specifically target the St. Bernard Parish Transportation Corridor and explicitly named the Port of New Orleans Board of Commissioners as the responsible entity.

SCOPE

Added specific co-sponsors (Representatives Hughes, Mena, and Taylor) to the bill header.

Updated project references to consistently include 'Parish' in 'St. Bernard Parish Transportation Corridor roadway project'.

DEFINITION

Changed the definition of 'board' to explicitly refer to the 'board of commissioners of the Port of New Orleans'.

REQUIREMENT

Updated the approval requirement to state that the final concession agreement must be approved by the Joint Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works.

TRANSPORTATION DEPT: Authorizes the Port of New Orleans to utilize public private partnerships for the St. Bernard Transportation Corridor roadway project (EN SEE FISC NOTE SD EX See Note)

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