SB 374: SPECIAL DISTRICTS: Provides for uniform procedure for the creation of college economic development districts for any college or university in any municipality or parish. (gov sig) - Louisiana

Senate Floor Bureau Note, #2110, Cathey, Adopted → SB374 Act 499 · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill transforms a procedural amendment into a complete, standalone act that establishes a new legal framework for Statewide College Economic Development Districts in Louisiana. It creates a new political subdivision designed to foster economic growth around universities by allowing them to form special taxing districts. The legislation details the district's governance structure, including a board of commissioners appointed by university officials, local governments, and the state legislature.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a set of minor text corrections to a comprehensive new chapter in the Louisiana Revised Statutes (Chapter 51 of Title 33) that authorizes the creation of special taxing districts for university economic development.

SCOPE

Established a new legal entity called a 'college economic development district' as a political subdivision of the state.

ELIGIBILITY

Defined the criteria for creating these districts, requiring consent from local governing authorities and excluding residential property from the district boundaries.

DEFINITION

Created a new board of commissioners with specific appointment powers for the university president, local officials, and state legislators.

FISCAL

Authorized the districts to levy taxes and special assessments, incur debt, and utilize sales and use tax increments to fund development projects.

REQUIREMENT

Mandated that districts be created via local ordinance and established rules for board membership terms, meetings, and removal for cause.

SB374 Original → Senate Floor Bureau Note, #2110, Cathey, Adopted · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to correct a citation error, changing references from 'Part II of this Chapter' to 'Part II of Chapter 27 of this Title' to ensure the new college economic development districts are properly linked to the correct existing statute. Additionally, the board composition rules were clarified to specify that the university president serves as a voting member and chairman, and members serve five-year terms with staggered initial terms.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's applicability was technically corrected by fixing a statutory citation to align with the proper chapter and title structure, ensuring the new districts operate under the correct legal framework.

TECHNICAL

Corrected statutory citations from 'Part II of this Chapter' to 'Part II of Chapter 27 of this Title' in two locations to fix a legal reference error.

REQUIREMENT

Clarified that the university president serves as a voting member and chairman of the district board and established specific five-year term lengths with staggered initial terms.

SB374 Enrolled → SB374 Original · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was reformatted from an Enrolled version to an Original draft, resulting in the removal of the session header and the addition of page headers and coding instructions. The substantive legal text regarding the creation and administration of college economic development districts remains unchanged.

Scope change

The scope of the bill remains focused on the University of Louisiana System, with no changes to eligibility or applicability.

TECHNICAL

Removed the 'ENROLLED' session header indicating the bill was previously finalized.

Added page numbering and coding instructions explaining how to identify deletions and additions.

Reordered the document structure to place the original bill text before the header information.

SB374 Reengrossed → SB374 Enrolled · 3 edits · May 25, 2026

MINOR

The bill was finalized and enrolled for passage, changing the header from 'Reengrossed' to 'Enrolled' and updating the page count from 15 to 12. Substantively, the definition of a college economic development district was refined to explicitly exclude any residential property from the district boundaries. The composition of the governing board was also updated to include a representative appointed jointly by the state legislature, alongside the college executive and local business representatives.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on creating college economic development districts, but the applicability of the district boundaries was narrowed by a new prohibition against including residential property.

DEFINITION

Added a specific provision stating that district boundaries shall not include any residential property.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new board member appointed jointly by the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives.

TECHNICAL

Updated document metadata including the status from 'Reengrossed' to 'Enrolled' and adjusted the total page count from 15 to 12.

SB374 Engrossed → SB374 Reengrossed · 3 edits · Apr 15, 2026

MINOR

The bill was reengrossed to expand its scope from exclusively the University of Louisiana System to any college or university in Louisiana. This change broadens eligibility for creating economic development districts, allowing more institutions to pursue these initiatives. The text also includes minor formatting updates and page count adjustments.

Scope change

The bill's applicability was expanded from the University of Louisiana System to any college or university in Louisiana.

SCOPE

The specific institution eligible to create districts changed from the University of Louisiana System to any college or university in Louisiana.

DEFINITION

The definition of the district was updated to apply to any college or university rather than just the University of Louisiana System.

REQUIREMENT

The requirement for consent was updated to apply to the appropriate local governing authority of any college or university.

SPECIAL DISTRICTS: Provides for uniform procedure for the creation of college economic development districts for any college or university in any municipality or parish. (gov sig)

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