The future of higher education and the University is playing out in the hands of the state Legislature in several bills this summer. Louisiana is the only state that requires two-thirds legislative approval to increase tuition, and several bills are addressing that law.HOUSE BILL 1171The most well known of the bills is the LA Grad Act, which would grant universities the flexibility to raise tuition by up to 10 percent annually for six years beginning in 2012 after meeting 15 performance criteria.The Grad Act, or House Bill 1171, will be heard by the Senate Education Committee today.Several other bills affecting universities’ ability to raise tuition have not passed the House Education Committee yet, including House bills 270, 1012, 1071, 767, 1333 and Senate bills 345 and 347.HB 401, which would allow the University to raise tuition without legislative approval, failed in committee.HB 1HB 1 is the general appropriations bill, which provides for the operating expenses of the state government, and it currently sets aside $215,866,170 in total financing for the University.The bill is to be next heard by the Senate Finance Committee.HB 1492This bill is a constitutional amendment that would give the Board of Regents the ability to gain ultimate power over policy and management of higher education and to “adopt any policy necessary or appropriate to support and promote postsecondary education and provides that the management boards’ exercise of their reserved powers are subject to such Board of Regents polices.”Speaker Jim Tucker wrote the bill as a replacement for one of his earlier bills, which completely restructured the higher education boards but failed in committee. The new bill does not change structure, just power given to the Board of Regents.SB 86While the University wants to increase tuition prices, there are also bills to limit the amount of TOPS allotted to students.SB 86 says TOPS “shall not exceed 90 percent of the amount determined by the administering agency to equal the tuition charged by the public college or university attended for the 2010-11 award year.”This bill is currently in the Senate Education Committee.Updates on these bills and others concerning higher education can be found at the Louisiana State Legislature’s website. Committee meetings and the House and Senate chambers are open to public viewing and input.
 
 
 
– – – -Contact Catherine Threlkeld at [email protected]