LSU Student Government today released its annual Higher Education Report Card, ranking members of the Louisiana Legislature on their support of state colleges and universities.
The report card takes into account members’ votes on a handful of bills, including the state operating budget, construction budget and legislation altering the TOPS program. Student Government gave lawmakers high marks for voting in favor of a bill raising the GPA requirement for TOPS, a proposal on free speech policy vetoed by Gov. John Bel Edwards and for voting against a “ban the box” measure for prospective college students, among other bills.
“This session has restored my hope and trust in our leaders,” LSU Student Body President Jason Badeaux says in the report.
State Sen. Dan Claitor and Rep. Pat Smith, whose districts encompass the LSU campus, both scored relatively low, with Claitor posting a “C” and Smith a “D.” State legislators whose districts fall with East Baton Rouge Parish who received an “A” include state Sens. Bodi White and Dale Eardey as well as state Rep. Franklin Foil.
Lawmakers avoided cuts to colleges and universities in the state this year and fully funded TOPS, which pays for the tuition of instate students meeting average academic benchmarks.
The vast majority of senators received a “C” grade or above on the report card, while around half of House members did. Only floor votes and authoring legislation supported by LSU SG earned lawmakers points.
