BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, the state’s largest statewide business association, announced in September the creation of the new LABI Technology Advocacy Council.

The council is dedicated to being the public policy champion for businesses that are creators of technology; IT managers; distributors of technology; and users of technology applications.

LABI is seeking input from its members to identify and prioritize business needs in this critical area and craft a lobbying agenda for LABI’s 2012 Program of Work. The first meeting of the council will be held soon and all LABI members who express an interest in it will be invited to attend.

Michael Olivier will chair the Technology Advocacy Council for 2012. Olivier also serves as CEO of the Louisiana Committee of 100 for Economic Development, Inc. and Chairman of the Louisiana Technology Council.

In a recent statement, Olivier said, “I’m excited about enhancing the partnership between the Louisiana Technology Council and LABI. By working together and speaking with a unified voice, we can make significant changes at the public policy level to support the development of new technologies and innovations that will help drive Louisiana’s economy.”

LABI President Dan Juneau noted that the Technology Advocacy Council will support, not duplicate, the activities of the Louisiana Technology Council, and will focus LABI’s strong and proven public advocacy apparatus on policies and issues that enhance technology’s role in Louisiana’s economy.

LABI staff lobbyist Brian Landry will serve as Director of the new Technology Advocacy Council. For more information, contact Landry at (225) 215-6629 or BrianL@labi.org.