A bill that would make it easier for higher education officials to raise tuition and fees at Louisiana colleges and universities passed through a Senate committee without objection on Monday.
SB 80 by Sen. Dan “Blade” Morrish, R-Jennings, would go to a statewide vote of the public in November if passed.
If approved, higher education governing boards will be allowed to raise tuition and fees on their own. Currently, the Legislature has oversight on tuition increases.
Tuition and fees have nearly doubled at some schools in the past nine years, as the state reduced the amount it contributed to higher education. But the average tuition for Louisiana schools still ranks below the Southern Regional Education Board average and well below the national average.
Morrish told the committee the law would go into effect after a bill by Sen. Jack Donahue, R-Mandeville, is passed to decouple TOPS from tuition, which is expected.
A handful of lawmakers have bills that would give tuition autonomy to schools, but all rely on the assumption that TOPS and tuition are separated. Currently, TOPS increases when tuition increases, and the cost of the popular tuition-paying program has ballooned to nearly $300 million per year.