BATON ROUGE -- Gov. Bobby Jindal wants to expand the powers of the Louisiana Recovery Authority and shrink the entity's governing board by almost half under a proposal moving through the Legislature.

LRA Executive Director Paul Rainwater said House Bill 622 by Speaker Jim Tucker, R-Algiers, would streamline operations of the authority, which still is slated to dissolve in 2010. The changes would take effect upon Jindal's signature.

The version the House Appropriations Committee approved Monday would make the authority responsible for implementing recovery programs, a wider job description than its current policymaking function.

Then-Gov. Kathleen Blanco wanted a similar structure when LRA was created in late 2005 to handle issues after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, but lawmakers balked.

Rainwater said Monday that the change would codify executive and administration changes Jindal has already made, giving Rainwater more control over federal recovery grant money and the powers to negotiate with federal officials. Tucker's bill, Rainwater said, is needed specifically to allow him more powers in interactions with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The authority's governing board, meanwhile, would be trimmed from 33 seats to 17, 13 of them appointed by the governor with Senate confirmation. At least one would have to come from each of the seven congressional districts, with up to six at-large appointments. The remaining four seats would go to the top two elected leaders in each legislative chamber.

Rainwater and Tucker told the panel that the administration has started discussions with board members about who might want to remain through 2010. But Rainwater said after the meeting that he cannot guarantee all members who want to stay will have a place.

He said Chairman Norman Francis has agreed to stay until the end of 2008. Housing Committee Chairman Walter Leger will stay for the duration, Rainwater said, as will attorney Kim Boyle. Rainwater said some national figures, such as Donna Brazile and Walter Isaacson, could end up in special advisory roles.

"We will keep a bipartisan spirit," Rainwater said.

The bill next moves to the full House.

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Bill Barrow can be reached at bbarrow@timespicayune.com or (225) 342-5590.

Copyright 2008 The Times-Picayune Publishing Company