Although Louisiana's bond rating has increased in the past decade, the state's reliance on temporary revenue measures is creating the potential for another bond rating downgrade which would cost tax payers millions of dollars.

Louisiana's proposed 2017 master plan update for coastal restoration and hurricane protection should contain more marsh creation projects in the Barataria and Terrebonne basins. It needs more projects protecting coastal and lake shorelines on the western part of the state. And it needs more money for flood-proofing businesses, elevating houses and moving people out of frequently flooded locations.

Months after Congress approved $1.6 billion in disaster aid for Louisiana, flood victims can finally tap into that federal aid to help repair their damaged homes. The long-awaited aid comes after months of winding through the federal process and a recent congressional hearing where Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards defended the state's role.

A lot of people are interested in how a bill dealing with the state's film credit program turns out. While the legislation enjoys support from the Louisiana Film and Entertainment Association, some others in the industry have raised concerns.

The proposed Interstate 49 corridor connecting Lafayette to New Orleans still appears to be a long way from completion due to lack of adequate funding. The Regional Economic Models and CDM Smith for the Community Foundation predicted that in total the interstate would cost around $1B to complete.

CDFA is accepting sessions submissions for the 2017 National Development Finance Summit in Atlanta this November. Session submissions on deals, projects or programs that include multiple funding sources are highly encouraged. Submissions are due by May 12, 2017.

The state gave film producers $282.6 million in tax credits in 2016 while economic activity from the movies made in-state generated $63.2 million in state taxes, economist Loren Scott found.

New Orleans Sen. J.P. Morrell spent dozens of hours last year holding hearings that examined every tax break on the books. Now he's trying to get rid of some of them, saying Louisiana might have been able to afford them once, but not anymore.

A pair of Chinese companies recently announced two separate chemical plant projects slated for Louisiana that will be worth billions. After years of negotiations with Louisiana Economic Development (LED), the first company landed a $4.3 million infrastructure grant to build their $1.12 billion chemical plant.

This course brings TIF deal-making and best practices into focus through a two-day program targeting the entire TIF community including economic developers, public agency representatives, bond issuers, legal professionals, developers, financial advisors, and other stakeholders. 

The Intro Food Systems Finance WebCourse examines the development finance programs that sustain a local food system and how investments in that system can drive economic development on a broader scale. Topics covered include federal, state, and local sources of capital, stakeholders involved in the financing process, and case study examples that showcase the variety of financing programs.

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