Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ways and Means advances bills to extend tax rebates to aerospace facilities
Summary
The committee advanced two bills that would expand state tax incentives for aerospace and defense manufacturing, applying sales‑and‑use rebates and ad valorem exemptions to aerospace equipment and facilities to attract investment and jobs, with state economic development officials urging competitiveness with Texas and Florida.
The House Ways and Means Committee on April 7 advanced two measures aimed at drawing aerospace and defense investment to Louisiana.
House Bill 1088, presented by the committee chair, would authorize a state and local sales‑and‑use tax rebate on purchases of certain items used in aerospace facilities and activities. Susan Bourgeois, secretary of Louisiana Economic Development, told the committee the sector is one of LED’s seven priority industries and said the state needs updated policies “to position Louisiana to win.” Julie Emerson of the governor’s office echoed that message, urging lawmakers to make the state competitive with peers that have already cultivated aerospace clusters.
A separate measure, House Bill 1179, would extend eligibility for the ad valorem tax exemption that applies to manufacturing establishments to certain aerospace manufacturing operations, referencing Article 7, Section 21(f) in current law. Committee members asked whether downstream businesses such as jet‑fuel producers and suppliers would qualify; Bourgeois said the bills were written to capture upstream and downstream activity and noted existing aerospace‑supply work in the state.
Both bills were moved forward by the committee on voice consent. Supporters framed the changes as aligning Louisiana policy with neighboring states to attract high‑paying jobs; several members requested fiscal details and modeling on projected job growth and local impacts ahead of floor consideration.
