HB716 designates the Chalmette Ferry terminal that connects Chalmette (St. Bernard Parish) with Algiers Point in New Orleans as the "Michael C. Ginart, Jr.
Ferry Terminal." The bill directs the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development to work with the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority to create and erect appropriate signage reflecting the new name.
The change is nominal: it attaches an honorary name to an existing transit facility and assigns two agencies responsibility for producing signage. The bill does not appropriate funds, alter operational control, or amend facility jurisdiction; implementation logistics and ongoing maintenance are left undefined, which is where most practical questions will arise for agencies and local governments.
At a Glance
What It Does
The bill gives the Chalmette Ferry terminal an honorary name and requires the Department of Transportation and Development to coordinate with the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority to design and install signage that reflects that name.
Who It Affects
Directly affects the Louisiana DOTD and the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (NORTA). Indirectly affects St. Bernard Parish, the City of New Orleans, ferry passengers, signage vendors, and local mapping/emergency dispatch systems that reference the terminal.
Why It Matters
Though ceremonial, the designation creates modest implementation duties (sign production and installation) and administrative questions about funding, maintenance, and updates to official materials and wayfinding. Those implementation choices determine whether the change is purely symbolic or triggers operational adjustments.
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What This Bill Actually Does
HB716 is a concise, single-purpose measure: it assigns an honorary name—"Michael C. Ginart, Jr.
Ferry Terminal"—to the terminal that links Chalmette in St. Bernard Parish with Algiers Point in New Orleans. The bill states the new name in statutory text and leaves that name as the formal designation for the terminal.
For implementation the bill directs the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development to work with the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority to create and erect signage reflecting the designation. The text does not specify design standards, whether signs must match existing transit signage, a timetable for installation, nor which party will pay for production, installation, or future maintenance.Because the bill is limited to a name designation and signage instruction, it does not transfer ownership, change operational control of the ferry service, alter funding for ferry operations, or amend any addresses or legal property descriptions.
However, practical follow-through—changing transit maps, updating online wayfinding, notifying emergency dispatch, and incorporating the name into ticketing or mobile apps—will require administrative steps by agencies and possibly coordination with local governments and private vendors.The bill leaves room for routine administrative coordination: DOTD and NORTA must agree on the signage and erect it, but the legislature does not assign costs, deadlines, or ongoing responsibilities. That creates a short list of predictable follow-on items—design approval, procurement for signs, installation scheduling, and updates to public-facing materials—that the agencies will need to resolve internally or by interagency agreement.
The Five Things You Need to Know
Section 1 statutorily designates the Chalmette Ferry terminal as the "Michael C. Ginart, Jr. Ferry Terminal.", Section 2 directs the Department of Transportation and Development to work with the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority to create and erect signage reflecting the designation.
The bill contains no appropriation or funding source for sign production, installation, or maintenance.
The designation is nominal: the text does not change ownership, operational control, or legal descriptions of the ferry terminal.
The bill does not set a timeline, design standards, or assign which agency is ultimately responsible for long-term maintenance of the new signage.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
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Creates the official name for the terminal
This clause inserts the name "Michael C. Ginart, Jr. Ferry Terminal" into statute as the official designation for the Chalmette–Algiers Point ferry terminal. Practically, that means state law will refer to the facility by this name, which can be cited in future legislation, grant applications, or official communications. The provision is purely nominal and does not include any operational directives or changes to the facility's legal status.
Directs DOTD and NORTA to produce and install signage
Section 2 creates an implementation duty: DOTD must work with the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority to create and erect appropriate signage. The language requires coordination but is silent on who funds the signs, which design standards apply, who approves the final sign content, and who is responsible for installation or maintenance. That silence leaves those practical decisions to agency processes or subsequent interagency agreements and procurement procedures.
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Explore Transportation in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- Michael C. Ginart, Jr.'s family and supporters — They receive a public, lasting honor that memorializes his name in state law and on public infrastructure.
- Local community and historical groups in Chalmette and St. Bernard Parish — A named terminal can reinforce local identity and serve as a focal point for community remembrance or events.
- Tourism and wayfinding advocates — A formal name can be used in promotional materials, signage, and maps to help brand the ferry link between Chalmette and Algiers Point.
- State and regional agencies seeking a clear legal reference — DOTD and NORTA (and future grant or reporting documents) gain an official name to use in contracts, permits, or funding applications.
Who Bears the Cost
- Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development — The agency must coordinate sign creation and erection and will absorb administrative and possibly procurement responsibilities unless otherwise funded.
- New Orleans Regional Transit Authority — NORTA must participate in design and installation work and may bear part of the operational or maintenance costs for signage on RTA property.
- Local governments and emergency services — They may need to update databases, maps, and dispatch references, creating administrative costs for St. Bernard Parish and the City of New Orleans.
- Taxpayers or agency budgets — Because the bill provides no appropriation, costs fall to existing budgets or require agencies to request funding, shifting financial burden onto operational accounts or local partner resources.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The central tension is between symbolic recognition and practical cost: the bill achieves a public honor with a single statutory line, but by omitting funding, timelines, and clear agency responsibilities it imposes real administrative burdens on DOTD, NORTA, and local governments—forcing them to choose between absorbing costs or delaying/limiting the designation's public rollout.
The bill is straightforward in intent but thin on implementation details. It mandates coordination between DOTD and NORTA to create and erect signage without specifying design rules, a funding mechanism, a timeline, or accountability for long-term upkeep.
That creates probable friction points: procurement rules will determine how signs are produced and who pays; differing agency priorities could slow installation; and ongoing maintenance responsibility is ambiguous.
Another practical ambiguity concerns downstream systems and stakeholders. Updating official maps, transit schedules, digital wayfinding, and 911 or transit dispatch references requires administrative work not mentioned in the text.
Because the designation does not alter legal descriptions or ownership, agencies must decide whether to treat the name as an alias in databases or replace older references—choices that affect contracts, grant paperwork, and regional coordination. Finally, while honorary namings are common, repeated renamings or overlapping designations can create confusion in navigation and records if the legislature does not couple designations with implementation resources or administrative authority.
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