On the governor’s desk: A bill that could freeze in the value of TOPS awards rather than allow them to rise with tuition was approved by the House Monday, the first reform to the popular tuition program of the session to win final Legislative passage. The News-Star reports Gov. John Bel Edwards has said he will sign the bill to make it law. Sen. Bill 174 by Jack Donahue, R-Mandeville, is designed to rein in the cost of TOPS, which has risen to nearly $300 million this year. In fact, the program has grown so expensive that Edwards has targeted it for a steep cut because of a projected $600 million budget deficit for the 2016-17 fiscal year beginning July 1 unless the Legislature raises more taxes in a special session. Current law ties TOPS awards to college tuition. The new law would set the value of the award at 2016-17 tuition levels unless the Legislature decides otherwise in better financial times. Read the full story.
Caps and gowns: Louisiana four-year high school graduation rate for public school students continues its upward trend, reaching 77.5% in 2015, the state education department announced Monday. The Associated Press reports the rate marks an all-time high and the fifth year that the rate has improved. Black students remain below the average, but their improvement outpaced the state as a whole, the education department says. The graduation rate for black students was 71.4% in 2015, up from 67.9% the year before and a growth of 12.5 percentage points since 2010. Despite the improvements, Louisiana still lags the nation. East Baton Rouge Parish’s graduation rate increase one percentage point on the year to 67.2% in 2015. Ascension Parish’s graduation rate was flat, increasing just 0.6 percentage points to 87.7%. Meanwhile, Livingston Parish’s graduation rate rose 4.2 percentage points to 83.8%.
Online: Louisiana’s health department has set up a new website at www.healthy.la.gov with enrollment information for the state’s planned Medicaid expansion. The Associated Press reports Louisiana will become the 32nd state to expand the government-financed health insurance program to the working poor when the new coverage begins July 1. Enrollment for the expanded health coverage begins June 1. Medicaid expansion will cover adults ages 19 to 64 making up to 138% of the federal poverty level—about $16,200 for a single adult or $33,400 for a family of four. Gov. John Bel Edwards and his health secretary, Rebekah Gee, announced the new website Monday at an event beginning a series of events around the state to promote Medicaid expansion.Gee estimated 375,000 people will get insurance from the expansion.
