NEW ORLEANS – On June 17, business leaders, legislators, educators, and investors gathered for the annual Jefferson Chamber Legislative Breakfast to discuss recently enacted legislation. The event’s top tier sponsor was Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Company.
Ruth Lawson, President of the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, interviewed Michael Hecht, President & CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.) and Will Green, President & CEO of the Louisiana Association of Business & Industry (LABI) who together provided a comprehensive debrief on the 2025 Louisiana regular legislative session, focusing on key bills and their projected impact on the business climate in the state, the region, and Jefferson Parish.
Site Preparation Fund
Michael Hecht said the $150 million Louisiana Economic Development Site Investment and Infrastructure Improvement Fund, created by House Bill 433 (HB 433) during the 2025 regular session, is a necessary component of attracting businesses to Louisiana. The fund is used to upgrade infrastructure such as roads and utilities to better position sites for major corporate investments, something that neighboring states have already been doing.
The Franklin Farmsite in Richland Parish was acquired by the state in 2006 for about $4.6 million to support large-scale industrial/manufacturing development and because it was already prepared, it ended up attracting Meta which announced a $10 billion data center investment there.
Taxes, Education, and Insurance
Will Green said that in 2024, Louisiana ranked 40th in the State Tax Competitiveness Index, 40th in the U.S. News & World Report ranking for Pre‑K–12 education, and also had one of the nation’s highest homeowner insurance costs. He said that, due to recent tax reforms, Louisiana is now more competitive, the education ranking has improved to 37th, marking the state’s highest-ever ranking, and recent legislative changes will go a long way to helping attract more insurance carriers to the state which will increase competitiveness and should bring costs down.
“Across Louisiana people are saying that the insurance crisis is the number one issue,” said Green. “We didn’t get everything we wanted in this legislative round, but we did get some improvements.”
Green said it was not good that the “Kelly Bad Faith” Bill was not enacted. The case, Kelly v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. (La. 2015), is a landmark Louisiana Supreme Court decision that reshaped insurance bad-faith law by expanding insurer liability. The 2025 Senate Bill 111, on the other hand, was an attempt to scale that expansion back by introducing clearer limits and protections for insurers.
Gov. Landry vetoed it, arguing it would shield insurers from accountability, restrict policyholder recourse, and create legal uncertainty, particularly due to vague terms around “adequate discovery”.
Green said Louisiana’s attempt to address “Kelly”-style insurance bad-faith reforms would have introduced “safe-harbor provisions” such as a 30-day review period after receiving a policy-limits demand and allowing time for the insurer to conduct discovery.
“I think the Governor plans to sign a transparency Bill in the future so that juries have access not just to what a medical provider billed after an accident, but what the insurance actually paid to settle those bills,” said Green.
Carbon Capture
Louisiana’s 2025 Legislature passed several bills affecting carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). Senate Bill 73 legalized CO₂ sequestration starting August 1 but House Bill 601 now means private companies building carbon capture pipelines in Louisiana can no longer use eminent domain to take land. The government still has that power for public projects, but it can’t pass it on to CCS developers.
“Louisiana has the geology, the talent, the effectiveness, and the safety. We could be a leader in Carbon Capture, potentially bringing in billions of dollars,” said Green. “You would think that would be something we are embracing but Michael and I are fighting legislators to keep Carbon Capture protects here. Texas, North Dakota, and Wyoming are welcoming Carbon Capture while we’re sending the wrong message. All the big players, Meta, Hyundai Steel, etc., all want a carbon-neutral footprint. Mississippi and Texas are just waiting to take the lead.”
“Energy demand is going through the roof and Carbon Capture is the only economically feasible way to move forward if we don’t embrace nuclear power to a greater extent, which is by far the cleanest energy source,” said Hecht.
“The far left doesn’t want Carbon Capture because it works. The libertarians say it infringes on imminent domain even though it’s all underground. It’s politically complicated, but it’s just politics.” Hecht emphasized his point by saying, Clint Eastwood style, “Do you feel like winning, Louisiana? Well, do ya? The states that get Carbon Capture right are the states that will get the jobs.”
Louisiana International Terminal (LIT)
The 2025 legislative session saw the passage of House Bill 687 authorizing the Port of New Orleans to develop the St. Bernard Transportation Corridor which will bypass local streets and directly link the Louisiana International Terminal (LIT) to the interstate system. The Bill also empowers the Port to use public-private partnerships to develop the LIT project and to acquire property either by purchasing it or through expropriation.
“Now we can build the road allowing LIT traffic to avoid the main roads,” said Hecht. “It will be build utilizing a public-private partnership (PPP). Containers using the road will pay a toll and a storm egress will be build.”
Scheduled to begin operation in 2028 featuring one container berth capable of handling 180,000–280,000 containers in its first year, the LIT’s full terminal build-out is expected to be completed gradually through 2031 and possibly beyond.
Legislators Attending
Several legislators attended the Jefferson Chamber Legislative Breakfast, including:
- Sen. J. Cameron Henry, Jr. – Louisiana State Senate President, representing District 9. He presides over the Senate and has served since being elected President in January 2024.
- Sen. Gregory A. Miller – Louisiana State Senator for District 19, also serving as Senate Parliamentarian. Assumed office January 8, 2024.
- Sen. Kirk Talbot – Louisiana State Senator for District 10 and Chairman of the Senate Insurance Committee. Elected to the Senate in 2020 after serving in the House.
- Rep. Laurie Garrand Schlegel – Louisiana State Representative, District 82, currently Chairwoman of the House Education Committee for the 2024–2028 term.
- Rep. John R. Illg, Jr. – Louisiana State Representative, District 78, in office since January 2020.
- Rep. Debbie Villio – Louisiana State Representative for District 79.
The Jefferson Chamber operates a Political Action Committee that endorses candidates who support pro-business policies.
A Historic Moment
The top tier sponsor of the Jefferson Chamber Legislative Breakfast was Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Company which issued a statement saying, “We are in a historic moment in our state – we have a new governor and a new legislature and an opportunity to unleash a bright new future that abounds in prosperity and economic success for our residents.”
