As the 2014 Louisiana Legislative Session begins, so do the list of priorities by local state legislatures, which mainly include state funding for higher education, reforming the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) and university control over tuition.
At a recent meeting at the Columbia Theatre, state legislators gathered to discuss all these issues, which appeared to unify Democrats and Republicans across the aisle.
Republican State Senator Jack Donahue, who was elected in 2007 and represents District 11, which includes St. Tammany Parish and Tangipahoa Parish, said he has proposed a bill that would give full tuition power to university systems and universities.
“I think that we need to allow universities to handle their own tuition,” said Donahue. “I don’t think the legislature in Baton Rouge should tell you what to charge your students.”
Democratic State Senator Ben Nevers, who was elected in 2003 and represents District 12, which includes Tangipahoa, St. Helena, St. Tammany and Washington Parishes, said he agreed with Donahue on the issue of tuition control.
“I too think the legislature needs to get out of micromanaging our university systems,” said Nevers. “I think our university systems will be able to determine what the market can bare, how much people can afford in that region, and they will do what’s best for the universities.”
Nevers said the university has one of the lowest tuitions in the state, but has been capped by the state legislature when attempting to raise tuition in order to keep up with other universities.
Previously, the state legislature has tried to shift control of tuition to university systems, but the attempts failed. Currently, for a university to raise tuition, it requires approval by two-thirds of both the State House of Representatives and the State Senate.
Both bills by Donahue and Nevers, if passed by two-thirds of both the house and senate, would require revisions to the state constitution, otherwise known as a constitutional amendment.
Though the amendments would not need approval by Gov. Bobby Jindal, they would need the approval of voters through a statewide election.
Another issue raised by state legislatures was the proposal that the TOPS program needs reform in order to be economically stable by the state.
There are over 10 filed TOPS-related bills filed for the legislative session, but Donahue said his bill would raise the GPA qualification from its current number 2.5 to 3.04. Coinciding with that revision, the bill would also raise the ACT TOPS qualification score from a 20 to 24. Donahue said these reforms to the program would put the state in line with surrounding state standards.
“It’s projected that by 2017, TOPS would cost the state about $350 million, which we don’t have that kind of money,” said Donahue. “We need to do something to start reigning in the cost of TOPS. It’s a merit based scholarship program, and it needs to continue on that basis.”
Donahue’s bill would also put the money saved from reforms made to the TOPS program and place them into the state’s other scholarship program known as GO Grants, which provides a needs-based component to the state’s financial aid plan to support nontraditional and low-to-moderate-income students who need additional aid to afford the cost of attending college.
All legislators present, which also included, Republican State Senator Mack “Bodie” White of District 6, Republican State Rep. Chris Broadwater of District 86 and Republican State Rep. Stephen Pugh of District 73, said that overall state funding for higher education was a main priority.
Donahue said that the budget proposed by Gov. Jindal, which allocates approximately $142 million for state higher education, needed to still be reviewed in order to eliminate unnecessary funding and “replace it with real money.”
Other issues discussed by state legislatures included the controversial Common Core State Standards, minimum wage, Medicaid expansion and women’s equal pay.
Nevers said he is proposing a bill that would raise the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $9.50 an hour. This too would require a constitutional amendment to the state’s constitution.
The legislative session began March 10 and will conclude June 2.