House legislation would allow university boards to adjust fees
Published 10:04 am Thursday, May 21, 2015
BATON ROUGE — House lawmakers voted 80-14 on Wednesday in favor of legislation that would allow board members of public colleges to set and adjust fees for certain programs.
House Bill 152, by Rep. Chris Broadwater, R-Hammond, was approved with amendments. It heads to the Senate for consideration.
House Speaker Chuck Kleckley, R-Lake Charles, Reps. Mike Danahay, D-Sulphur, A.B. Franklin, D-Lake Charles, and John Guinn, R-Jennings, voted for the measure. Rep. Frank Howard, R-Many, opposed it.
Reps. James Armes, D-Leesville, Brett Geymann, R-Moss Bluff, Bob Hensgens, R-Abbeville, and Dorothy Sue Hill, D-Dry Creek, were recorded as absent.
Several amendments were added to the bill, including a two-year cap that would end at the 2016-2017 school year. Broadwater said that while he believes universities will be responsible in setting fees, the two-year sunset will make sure “things are being operated the right way.”
Another amendment requires that revenue generated from fees can only be used for support of the university that collects them.
Broadwater told lawmakers the legislation has nothing to do with tuition. He said the bill was a responsible way to allow colleges to set and raise fees, if needed.
Under the measure, the fees can’t exceed the national average reported by the National Center for Education Studies by Carnegie classification.
Meanwhile, another measure that would allow colleges and universities to set tuition and fees for graduate and professional programs failed to get enough support from House lawmakers.
House Bill 168, by Rep. Stephen Carter, R-Baton Rouge, failed with a 65-26 vote. The bill needed 70 House votes for approval. Kleckley, Danahay and Guinn supported the measure; Armes, Franklin, Hill and Howard opposed it. Geymann and Hensgens were reported as absent.
The measure included the same two-year cap as Broadwater’s bill. Carter assured the panel his legislation had nothing to do with TOPS. But unlike Broadwater’s bill, it did not have any protection from fund sweeps.
A motion to reconsider the bill is pending.
Louisiana Legislature
