A piece of legislation necessary to fund Governor Bobby Jindal’s proposed budget cleared the House Education Committee Wednesday.
House Bill 448 by Rep. Hollis Downs, R-Ruston, will move to the full House for debate, following a 9-4 Committee vote.
HB 448 would increase the full-time tuition cap from 12 to 15 hours for undergraduate students, meaning an increase in cost for students taking 15 hours. The bill will similarly raise the cap for graduate students and will be covered by students’ TOPS awards.
Under the proposal, University undergraduates would pay $189 more per credit hour taken between 12 and 15 hours. Since most classes constitute three hours, this proposal would equate to a $567 increase in tuition for a 15 hour course load.
If the measure fails to win a two-thirds approval of both legislative chambers state Universities will lose a large portion of proposed state funding.
HB 448 is one of the legislative measures needed to pass in order to fund Jindal’s proposed budget presented earlier this year.
The University could see a midyear budget cut if legislation tied to Jindal’s proposed budget fails to pass.
If HB 448 wins two-thirds approval from the House, it will move to the Senate for debate.
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