WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

HB 1081

PORTS/HARBORS/TERMINALS: Provides for the Louisiana Ports and Waterways Investment Commission (EN NO IMPACT See Note)

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Mark Wright

HB 1081 transfers the Louisiana Ports and Waterways Investment Commission from the governor’s office to the DOTD’s Office of Multimodal Commerce, changing oversight and funding.

Effective date: 08/01/2026.
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 1081

Summary of HB 1081 (2026, Louisiana)

Topic

Port, Harbors, and Terminals – Transfers the Louisiana Ports and Waterways Investment Commission (LPWIC) from the governor’s office to the Office of Multimodal Commerce within the Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD).

Purpose and Intent

  • To relocate the Louisiana Ports and Waterways Investment Commission (the “commission”) from the governor’s office to be housed within the Office of Multimodal Commerce (OMC) of the DOTD.
  • To align the commission under the DOTD's organizational structure and governance.

Key Provisions and Changes

Structural Changes

  • Transfers the LPWIC from the governor’s office to the Office of Multimodal Commerce within DOTD.
  • Envisions the commission operating under DOTD’s OMC rather than as a standalone entity reporting to the governor.

Specific Statutory Amendments

  • Amends and reenacts portions of R.S. 34:5221(A), 5223(A)(1), (4), and (5), and 5224(D).
    • §5221(A): Redefines the commission as created within the governor’s office in present law; under the bill, the location would shift to the OMC within DOTD.
    • §5223(A)(1), (4), (5): Revises the commission’s powers and duties to reference the Office of Multimodal Commerce (OMC) instead of the governor’s office; still commits the commission to represent the public interest and advise on port administration, with reporting to the OMC, the legislature, and the public.
    • §5224(D): Changes the requirement for the commission to receive an appropriation for its strategic plan and investment program from an agreement between the governor and the legislature to an agreement between the OMC and the legislature.
  • Adds a new provision: R.S. 36:509(A)(4)
    • Transfers the Louisiana Ports and Waterways Investment Commission to the Office of Multimodal Commerce, DOTD.

Administrative/Operational Considerations

  • The commission remains domiciled in East Baton Rouge Parish (unchanged by the bill’s text for location; the substantive change is under which state entity and office it operates).
  • The commission’s funding and support for its strategic plan and investment program would be appropriated under the new governance model (OMC/DOTD) rather than via governor–legislature agreement.

Who Would Be Affected

  • The Louisiana Ports and Waterways Investment Commission (LPWIC) would transition from reporting to and being housed within the governor’s office to reporting to and being housed within the DOTD’s Office of Multimodal Commerce.
  • The Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), specifically the Office of Multimodal Commerce, would assume statutory responsibility for LPWIC’s functions.
  • The Legislature and governor’s office would have a changed process for funding approval of the commission’s strategic plan and investment program (now via OMC).

Procedural/Timeline Aspects

  • As introduced, the bill would remove the governor’s office as the commission’s parent and place the commission under the DOTD’s OMC.
  • The bill’s effective date is not specified in the provided text; typical implementation would follow when enacted and upon any transition plan.

Summary

HB 1081 proposes a structural shift for the Louisiana Ports and Waterways Investment Commission, moving it from the governor’s office to the Office of Multimodal Commerce within the Department of Transportation and Development. It preserves the commission’s core duties—advocacy for the public interest, guidance on port administration, and reporting to the OMC, legislature, and public—but changes the reporting line, oversight, and funding mechanism to align with DOTD governance.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.