Gov. Bobby Jindal announced Wednesday his plans to preserve the future of the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, TOPS, scholarship program despite state budget reductions.
“We are proposing a constitutional amendment in the upcoming session that proposes to protect more TOPS dollars by capping the Millennium Trust Fund at $1.38 billion and dedicating funds in the excess go that amount toward TOPS,” Jindal said. “What that means is that will increase the amount of protected dollars going into TOPS by $43 million per year for the TOPS Program.”
Jindal said the state currently receives $58 million each year from the Tobacco settlement, with 25 percent going to the Louisiana fund for health care expenses and 75 percent going to the Millennium Trust Fund.
“TOPS has provided nearly 500,000 students the opportunity to get a college education,” he said. “That’s why we must protect this viable program.”
 
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Contact Sydni Dunn at [email protected]