The Legislature gave final passage to a bill on Wednesday that allows state graduate schools to raise tuition by up to $30 dollars per credit hour.House Bill 872, supported by the University, is now on its way to Gov. Bobby Jindal for final approval after gaining a 91-5 vote in the Louisiana House. The bill, by Rep. Hollis Downs, R-Ruston, means a full-time graduate student taking 9 hours per semester could see a $540 hike in tuition starting July 1.The LSU School of Veterinary Medicine tuition would increase by $1,500 a year if the bill goes through, and LSU’s master’s of business administration program by up to $2,000 a year. Dentistry and law school programs are not included in the bill.The 2009 legislative session ends today at 6 p.m., and lawmakers are trying to decide the best way to fill the gaps in the state’s $28.7 billion spending budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year that begins July 1. Higher education and health care are each facing cuts of about $200 million, and the House and Senate have different methods of restoring funds to the state’s public colleges and universities. The House has authored legislation for a tax amnesty program that would generate $150 million and is willing to pull $86 million from the state’s Budget Stabilization Fund, or “rainy day fund.”The Senate wants to draw more than $200 million from the rainy day fund. The House rejected the Senate’s changes to House Bill 720, the tax amnesty program legislation, on Wednesday, sending it to a conference committee where a compromise will be discussed. While the session officially ends at 6 p.m., a special session could be called if lawmakers can’t reach a compromise about the rainy day fund. —-Contact Kyle Bove at [email protected]