Lawmakers in the Louisiana House have sent their colleagues in the Senate a nearly $26 billion state operating budget that prioritizes the safety net hospitals for the poor and uninsured over the TOPS college tuition program.
After two days of debate, the House voted 82-17 today for the proposal to pay for state government operations in the financial year that begins July 1.
House leaders’ efforts to protect the TOPS program, estimated to cost nearly $300 million next year to pay for all eligible students, failed.
Instead, lawmakers in the chamber voted to shift money to protect the hospitals, saying cuts could damage health care services and medical training programs.
As the proposal heads to the Senate for consideration, TOPS is $72 million short of full funding.
