A.(1) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary or the requirements of this Part, if the secretary determines it is in the best interest of the taxpayers, the Department of Transportation and Development, with approval of the House and Senate transportation, highways and public works committees, may solicit proposals for public-private partnership projects for a transportation facility. The department shall comply with the provisions of La. Rev. Stat. 48:2084 through 2084.15 that are applicable to public-private partnership projects of the Louisiana Transportation Authority and the provisions of La. Rev. Stat. 48:256.3 and 256.5.

            (2) Prior to executing a contract for a public-private partnership, the department shall receive approval from the House and Senate transportation, highways and public works committees to enter into the contract.

            (a) The Department of Transportation and Development shall provide the detailed financial analysis of cost conducted by the department and the Federal Highway Administration relative to the I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge project to the Senate Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works and the House Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works.

            (b) The Department of Transportation and Development and the Department of the Treasury shall use the analysis provided for by Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph to prepare a comparative financial analysis of the cost of the design build method of the I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge project.

            (c) The result of the comparative analysis shall be provided to the Senate Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works and the House Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works immediately upon completion. The committees shall use the comparative analysis as a reference during deliberation in approving the public-private partnership contract for the I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge project.

            B.(1) Twenty-five percent of public-private partnership projects undertaken by the department shall be located outside the boundaries of a metropolitan planning area, as defined in 23 U.S.C. § 134.

            (2) Solicitations for public-private partnership projects outside the boundaries of any metropolitan planning area, as defined in 23 U.S.C. § 134, shall be subject to the approval of the House and Senate committee on agriculture, forestry, aquaculture and rural development in addition to the approval of the House and Senate committees on transportation, highways and public works.

            C. The department shall not receive an unsolicited proposal for a public-private partnership project.

            Acts 2016, No. 519, §2, eff. June 13, 2016; Acts 2019, No. 358, §1, eff. June 11, 2019; Acts 2022, No. 758, §1, eff. June 18, 2022.