ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Provides for matters related to brick manufacturing (EN SEE FISC NOTE GF EX See Note)
HB 672 creates a new Part VI of Chapter 3 of Title 51 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes, titled the "Bolstering Brick Manufacturing in Louisiana Act." The bill states legislative findings that Louisiana has strong natural advantages for brick production, including clay deposits, natural gas pricing, and port and rail infrastructure, but is underperforming nationally in clay brick production. Its stated purpose is to encourage the establishment and growth of brick manufacturing facilities in Louisiana by reducing barriers, lowering entry costs, and providing targeted support to qualifying enterprises.
The bill authorizes Louisiana Economic Development (LED), within its existing authority and subject to available funding, to support the recruitment, retention, and expansion of brick manufacturing facilities. It also allows LED to develop policies, guidance, or program criteria consistent with existing economic development programs. The bill specifically identifies possible actions such as pre-certifying suitable sites near clay deposits, creating workforce training initiatives, developing job creation and hiring initiatives, clarifying regulatory pathways, and coordinating with ports, rail providers, and local governments on infrastructure needs. The House amendments narrowed the bill from a more directive approach to a permissive one, emphasizing LED’s existing authority rather than imposing new mandates.
In practical terms, the bill adds statutory direction for state economic development efforts focused on brick manufacturing, but it does not create a standalone incentive program with guaranteed funding. Instead, it expands the menu of activities LED may pursue to attract and support brick manufacturers, and it ties those activities to existing programs and available appropriations. The measure is aimed at manufacturing jobs, local building-material supply chains, and broader industrial development in Louisiana.
The overall sentiment around the bill appears strongly favorable. It passed the House unanimously, 92-0, and the bill was ultimately signed by the Governor as Act 563. The lack of recorded opposition suggests broad agreement with the goal of promoting manufacturing and leveraging Louisiana’s natural resources and transportation infrastructure for economic development.
The main point of contention reflected in the bill history is not opposition to brick manufacturing itself, but the scope of LED’s role. The committee amendments softened language that originally would have required LED to prioritize brick manufacturing and adopt rules directing access to rail and port facilities. Those changes indicate a preference for flexibility and for keeping the bill within existing agency authority and funding limits, rather than creating a mandatory priority or new regulatory obligations.
HB 672 adds R.S. 51:971-972 to Louisiana law and gives Louisiana Economic Development express statutory permission to support brick manufacturing recruitment, retention, and expansion. It also authorizes LED to develop related policies and program criteria, including site identification, workforce training, hiring initiatives, regulatory guidance, and coordination with ports, rail providers, and local governments. The bill does not mandate new spending or create a separate incentive program, but it does formally direct state economic development attention toward brick manufacturing as a priority industry area within existing law.
The bill was received positively and appears to have had broad bipartisan or noncontroversial support. The House passed it unanimously, 92-0, and it was later signed into law. The discussion reflected support for economic development, manufacturing jobs, and use of Louisiana’s clay, energy, and transportation assets. The amendments suggest support for the bill’s goals while ensuring the final version stayed flexible and within existing agency authority.
There was little apparent opposition to the policy goal of supporting brick manufacturing. The only notable issue was the bill’s original breadth: the committee amendments changed mandatory language into permissive language, shifting LED from being required to prioritize brick manufacturing and adopt specific rules to being allowed to support the industry within existing authority and available funds. That change reflects concern about overprescribing agency action, creating new obligations, or implying access priorities for rail and port facilities without clear statutory or fiscal footing.