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Economic Development

• The Louisiana Technology Park received $4.4 million to meet the third year of a $37 million, multiple-year commitment by the State for a commercial data center and technology business incubator located at Bon Carre' in Baton Rouge.
   
• Act 23, the Capital Outlay Act, provided $30 million ($12 million in State General Fund non-recurring revenues and $18 million in General Obligation Bonds - Priority 5) for the planning and construction of three Wet-Laboratory Business Incubators in Shreveport, New Orleans and Baton Rouge to provide laboratory facilities that may be leased to qualified bioscience research firms. These wet labs will attempt to recruit new businesses to capitalize on university based bioscience research conducted at Louisiana institutions of higher education.
   
• The amount of $3 million was appropriated for the final installment of the state commitment in the UNO/Navy contract, which provides for the completion of construction of the fourth building at the University of New Orleans Research and Technology Parks located at the New Orleans lakefront area. The Park has formed partnerships between UNO academic departments and the approximately 50 tenants, with the Naval Information Technology Center serving as the anchor tenant.
   
• The UNO/Avondale contract was funded at $5.3 million for the fifth year of a $50.2 million commitment to fund the construction of a 200,000 square foot ship design facility for Avondale Corporation.
   
• Several regional economic development organizations received funding for FY03: MetroVision (New Orleans) - $450,000; Macon Ridge (Northeast Louisiana) - $250,000; South Louisiana Economic Council - $150,000; Partnership for Greater Baton Rouge - $350,000; and Baton Rouge Inner City Economic Development District - $25,000.
   
• Sports bowl games and tournaments were funded as follows:
   

• The budget includes $1 million in federal funding from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant funds for the Micro-enterprise Development Program. This program was transferred from the Office of Women's Services.