House Bill No. by Representative Newell amends the composition and appointment process of the board of commissioners for the New Orleans Regional Business Park. The bill reduces the board's membership from twelve to nine members, removing appointments previously made by the U.S. representative for Louisiana's second congressional district and the state senator from Senate District 1. Additionally, the number of appointments made by the mayor of New Orleans is decreased from five to two, and the requirement for the mayor to select from a list of nominees from specific organizations is eliminated. Instead, new appointments will be made by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the New Orleans Business Alliance.

The bill also revises the process for filling vacancies on the board, changing the terminology from "nominating entity" to "appointing authority" and specifying that the remaining board members will appoint an interim successor if a vacancy is not filled within 60 days. Furthermore, it establishes that any board member who has four consecutive unexcused absences will be automatically disqualified and removed from office. The bill retains provisions allowing for the removal of board members by their respective appointing authorities and clarifies that members cannot serve beyond the term of the appointing authority without reappointment.

Statutes affected:
HB484 Original: 33:4702(B)(2)