"After consultation with legislative staff attorneys and local constituents, there are unanswered concerns regarding whether the legislation would achieve its stated objectives."
State Rep. Joel Robideaux, no party-Lafayette, announced Monday morning that he has withdrawn from consideration a bill that raised the hackles of both Lafayette Parish Democrats and tea party members. House Bill 531 would have created the Lafayette Parish Redevelopment Authority, an appointed panel tasked with addressing blighted properties in Lafayette. It passed the House unanimously last month. Robideaux, who had filed the legislation at the request of Lafayette Consolidated Government, actually pulled the bill before it was heard by a Senate committee, but until Monday the bill's status remained unclear.
"Important questions remain about the proposed redevelopment authority that call for more review," Robideaux says in a press release announcing withdrawal of the bill. "After consultation with legislative staff attorneys and local constituents, there are unanswered concerns regarding whether the legislation would achieve its stated objectives. Because the legislation addresses important local policy objectives, I look forward to working with Lafayette Consolidated Government, legislative staff and local concerned citizens to address these issues over the long term."