In June, Louisiana’s Senate unanimously adopted a Resolution, SR235, creating “a task force to study and make recommendations to the legislature on the advisability of creating a statewide business court to lower costs, enhance efficiency, and promote predictable outcomes.” The Resolution was co-sponsored by Republican Senator Jack Donahue and Democratic Senator Karen Peterson.
The Resolution’s recitals state:
WHEREAS, the state of Louisiana has experienced exponential growth in business and industry; and
WHEREAS, the legal issues arising in the daily activities of business and industry are often complex, requiring specialized legal knowledge; and
WHEREAS, the citizens of the state of Louisiana would benefit from the creation of a statewide business court with jurisdiction over matters which arise in business and industry; and
WHEREAS, there are many benefits of creating specialized courts, and particularly a business court.
The Resolution identifies 20 different public, private, and community leaders to serve as members, representing a wide range of public, private, and government entities which have clearly been identified as stakeholders. The full member list can be found in the Resolution’s text.
The Resolution’s text can be found here, and its legislative history can be found here.
Per the Resolution, “the task force may conduct meetings at the times as it may deem necessary or convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and accomplish the objectives and purposes of this Resolution.” The task force is required to “make a report of its findings and recommendations, with a suggestion for proposed legislation, if any, to the president of the Senate and speaker of the House of Representatives by February 1, 2020.”
The task force recently held its first meeting.
We will be keeping track of developments as we learn of them.
