On January 17th, the Caddo Commission passed amendments to bylaws pertaining to the body's travel policies. The legislation could limit travel, but it didn't pass without heated debate. Not all commissioners were in favor of the amendments. District 7 Commissioner Stephanie Lynch says there wasn't a problem to fix. She believes commissioners should travel more.

"If we had 12 people working to bring back things to Caddo Parish we would be much further ahead," Lynch said.

Lynch says recent progress in the parish, such as with Elio Motors, happened because officials traveled to promote Caddo and build relationships.

"People says it's not what you know, it's who you know," she said. "We've been traveling, establishing those relationships at the federal level, with political and business leaders all over the country. We've been able to produce results."

Lynch admits she is active on the national level and takes trips to Washington D.C. to promote causes.

"And because of that, that may necessitate more trips to D.C. then someone who is just focus on the state," Lynch said.

Commissioners are usually granted two national convention trips and one state convention.

The most important amendment to the bylaws states commissioners must be authorized to travel if they're lobbying and must prove they're lobbying for the betterment of the commission as a whole.