This section directs certain East Baton Rouge Parish tax collections into a special state fund and sets out how the fund’s money must be used.
§322.9. Disposition of certain collections in East Baton Rouge Parish A. Except as provided in R.S. 47:322.42, the avails of the tax imposed by this Chapter from the sales of services as defined by R.S. 47:301.3(1) in the parish of East Baton Rouge under the provisions of R.S. 47:321(C) and 322 shall be credited to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, and after a sufficient amount is allocated from that fund to pay all of the obligations secured by the full faith and credit of the state which become due and payable within any fiscal year, the treasurer shall pay the remainder of such funds into a special fund which is hereby created in the state treasury and designated as the "East Baton Rouge Parish Enhancement Fund". B. The monies in the "East Baton Rouge Parish Enhancement Fund" shall be subject to an annual appropriation by the legislature. One hundred thousand dollars of the monies in the fund shall be available annually for use exclusively for urban mass transit purposes in East Baton Rouge Parish. The funds allocated herein for urban mass transit shall not be used to displace, replace, or supplant funds previously appropriated or otherwise used for this purpose. One hundred thousand dollars of the monies in the fund shall annually be available for use by Visit Baton Rouge to promote athletic activities, facilities, and sporting events to attract visitors to East Baton Rouge Parish. The remainder of the monies in the fund shall be available annually for use by the Riverside Centroplex Arena and Exhibition Center. All unexpended and unencumbered monies remaining in the fund at the end of the fiscal year shall remain in the fund. The monies in the fund shall be invested by the treasurer in the same manner as the monies in the state general fund, and all interest earned shall be deposited in the state general fund. C. For purposes of this Section, "urban mass transit purposes" shall include operation and maintenance expenses related to urban mass transit. "Urban mass transit purposes" shall also include capital expenditures related to urban mass transit. For purposes of this Section, "capital expenditures" shall mean expenditures for acquiring lands, buildings, equipment, and vehicles or for payment of principal, interest, or premium, if any, and other obligations incident to the issuance, security, and payment of bonds or other evidences of indebtedness associated therewith. Acts 1997, No. 808, §1, eff. July 1, 1997; Acts 1999, No. 1324, §1, eff. July 1, 1999; Acts 2025, No. 163, §1, eff. June 8, 2025; Acts 2025, No. 384, §8(B), eff. June 20, 2025.