Last week, the United States Department of the Treasury announced the approval of applications from Louisiana and a handful of other states for State Small Business Credit Initiative (“SSBCI”) funding. The SSBCI is an important component of the Small Business Jobs Act (“the Act”) that was signed into law last fall. This funding is intended

In today’s political and economic environment, in which public resources available for infrastructure development and maintenance are increasingly scarce, Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) offer a welcome alternative to traditional financing and operation models. A PPP is a contractual agreement between a public agency (federal, state or local) entity and a private sector entity to deliver a service or facility for public use. The Louisiana Supreme Court has recognized the public benefits of PPPs, finding that “public-private partnerships that take advantage of the special expertise of the private sector are among the most effective programs to encourage and maintain economic development, and that it is in the best interest of the State and its local governments to encourage, create, and support public-private partnerships.” See Board of Directors of Indus. Devel. Bd. of City of Gonzales, Louisiana, Inc. v. All Taxpayers, Property Owners, Citizens of City of Gonzales, 938 So.2d 11, 17 (La. 2006).
Continue Reading A Primer on Public-Private Partnerships