HLS 15RS-3814 ORIGINAL
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 178
BY REPRESENTATIVE JEFFERSON
STUDENT/LOANS-SCHOLARSHP: Requests that the Board of Regents, in collaboration
with the Louisiana Student Financial Assistance Commission, study and make
recommendations relative to student financial aid
1 A RESOLUTION
2To urge and request the Board of Regents, in collaboration with the Louisiana Student
3 Financial Assistance Commission, study the state's merit-based and need-based
4 student financial assistance programs and to submit a written report of findings,
5 conclusions, and recommendations to the House Committee on Education not later
6 than sixty days prior to the beginning of the 2016 Regular Session of the Legislature
7 of Louisiana.
8 WHEREAS, R.S. 17:3129.7 requires the Board of Regents to develop and maintain
9a comprehensive state student financial aid plan that supports the Master Plan for Public
10Postsecondary Education and to consider all sources of financial aid available to students
11attending or seeking to attend postsecondary education institutions in Louisiana and the
12financial needs of such students; and
13 WHEREAS, two major components of student financial aid in Louisiana are the
14merit-based Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) and the need-based Louisiana
15GO Grant program; and
16 WHEREAS, the purpose of TOPS, according to the Louisiana Administrative Code,
17Chapter 7, Section 701, is to provide an incentive for Louisiana residents to academically
18prepare for and pursue postsecondary education in this state, resulting in an educated work
19force enabling Louisiana to prosper in the global market of the future; and
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HR NO. 178
1 WHEREAS, relative to the purpose of the Louisiana GO Grant program, the
2legislature finds in R.S. 17:3046 that leveraging access to postsecondary education for
3students with demonstrated financial need ensures that all qualified students are afforded an
4opportunity to achieve their full educational potential, increase their overall quality of life,
5and maximize their contribution to the state's economic development; and
6 WHEREAS, though TOPS and the GO Grant program are excellent programs that
7have helped thousands of Louisiana students in their pursuit of postsecondary education,
8there are some aspects of the overall financial aid landscape in Louisiana that merit further
9analysis and consideration; and
10 WHEREAS, one issue that many find concerning about TOPS is that TOPS awards
11are disproportionately awarded to white, relatively wealthy students, as noted in the TOPS
12Report: Analysis of the TOPS Program from 2003-2014, published by the Board of Regents,
13which states that during this time span, approximately seventy-nine percent of TOPS
14recipients were white, and the mean and median household income of TOPS recipients
15ranged from $70,000 to $99,000, much higher than Louisiana's median household income
16of approximately $44,000; and
17 WHEREAS, another concern that some have raised about TOPS is the award
18retention rate of its recipients; this same Board of Regents report states that approximately
19one-third of TOPS recipients between 2003 and 2014 had their award cancelled during some
20point in their postsecondary academic career; and
21 WHEREAS, one of the most widely discussed matters related to TOPS is its cost;
22according to the report, the state spent approximately $1.9 billion funding the TOPS program
23from 1999 through 2014, and during that time period, total expenditures on the program
24increased 296%; and
25 WHEREAS, in terms of elements of the Go Grant program that call for continued
26study, its underfunding ranks above all; in 2011, the Louisiana Budget Project (LBP)
27published a report stating that in Louisiana, "spending on need-based aid is consistently out
28of line with that of other states" and that the GO Grant Program "has been chronically
29underfunded"; and
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HR NO. 178
1 WHEREAS, this LBP report also points out that "even with a maximum allowable
2GO Grant, students can have large, unmet financial needs" and that "compared to other
3Southern states and to states nationally, Louisiana spends a disproportionately large share
4of its financial aid resources on those who can readily afford college while providing too
5little to those who need financial help in order to have a chance at a college education"; and
6 WHEREAS, calling for more need-based aid, the LBP report states that "students
7from low-income and minority backgrounds – those who have been traditionally
8underrepresented in Louisiana's colleges and universities – are less likely to benefit from
9TOPS" and "to ensure that higher education remains accessible to all Louisianans, Louisiana
10needs to redirect its financial aid resources and to increase funding to its need-based
11financial aid program"; and
12 WHEREAS, this report's ultimate recommendation is that "legislators should strike
13a balance between funding TOPS and Go Grants so that taxpayer dollars maximize
14attendance across all income levels"; and
15 WHEREAS, in light of the state's precarious budget situation and the fundamental
16importance of postsecondary education, it is imperative that the positive and negative aspects
17of the state's merit-based and need-based student financial aid programs receive a thorough
18study.
19 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
20Legislature of Louisiana does hereby urge and request the Board of Regents, in collaboration
21with the Louisiana Student Financial Assistance Commission, to study the state's merit-
22based and need-based student financial assistance programs and to submit a written report
23of findings, conclusions, and recommendations to the House Committee on Education not
24later than sixty days prior to the beginning of the 2016 Regular Session of the Legislature
25of Louisiana.
26 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that such report shall analyze the strengths and
27weaknesses of both merit-based and need-based programs in the state and provide
28recommendations for how such programs might be revised in terms of helping more
29Louisiana students maximize their postsecondary education opportunities and success.
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HR NO. 178
1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
2to the chairman of the Board of Regents, the commissioner of higher education, and the
3chairman of the Louisiana Student Financial Assistance Commission.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HR 178 Original 2015 Regular Session Jefferson
Requests that the Bd. of Regents, in collaboration with the La. Student Financial Assistance
Commission, study the state's merit-based and need-based student financial assistance
programs and submit a written report of findings, conclusions, and recommendations to the
House Committee on Education not later than 60 days prior to the beginning of the 2016
R.S. Provides that such report analyze the strengths and weaknesses of both merit-based and
need-based programs and provide recommendations for how such programs might be revised
in terms of helping more La. students maximize their postsecondary education opportunities
and success.
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