Gov. Landry Signed Six Bills to Pave the Way for SpaceX in Louisiana — Here’s What Each One Does

BATON ROUGE, La. - It has been quite a week in South Louisiana with an official announcement earlier this week regarding SpaceX's $100 billion Starship launchpad coming to Vermilion Parish. And with that has been a week of strong opinions supporting and opposing the project.

While we can continue to debate the merits of the inevitable massive project, we do know that Governor Jeff Landry signed six bills into law before the August 25 announcement that helped facilitate the SpaceX project.

READ MORE: SpaceX Confirms $100 Billion Spaceport in Vermilion Parish

The Louisiana Bills That Paved the Way for SpaceX

Representative Paul Sawyer, a Baton Rouge Republican, was one of 15 bipartisan sponsors of House Bill 1088. That legislation authorizes tax rebates on certain machinery and other items for approved aerospace facilities.

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Rep. Sawyer echoed what Gov. Landry and other politicians have said about the new launchpad: that it is a game-changing investment for the state.

What Rep. Paul Sawyer Said About the SpaceX Deal

"SpaceX is transformational. In my view, SpaceX is the equivalent of Louisiana discovering oil for the first time," Sawyer said.

Here's a look at the other five House bills that were signed by Gov. Landry:

• House Bill 1179 - Sponsored by Tony Bacala of Ascension Parish. It extends tax exemption eligibility to aerospace manufacturing, assembly, and testing facilities.
• House Bill 1098 - Shields aerospace companies from certain lawsuits, including claims over noise, smoke, or other disturbances tied to flight activity.
• House Bill 1017 - Shields aerospace records from the public, including plans, technical data, and security records.
• House Bill 1250 - Gives aerospace companies a tool to fight costly lawsuits by allowing them to file a special motion that temporarily pauses the evidence-gathering process.
• House Bill 1175 - Adds new definitions to state law covering aerospace facilities, launch vehicles, and space flight activities.

"None of what we had in our economic toolbox of economic incentives really applied to SpaceX. So really, we're treating SpaceX no differently than we would treat Exxon or BASF or DOW," Rep. Sawyer said.

What About Vermilion Parish's Own Legislators?

As a final note, none of Vermilion Parish's legislators sponsored any of the six bills; however, they did unanimously vote "yes" on most of them.