RDCSB446 224 4839
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)]
SB 446 Reengrossed 2016 Regular Session Hewitt
Present constitution provides for the powers, duties, and responsibilities of the Bd. of
Regents, including the requirement that it formulate and make timely revision of a master
plan for postsecondary education. Requires that, as a minimum, such plan include a formula
for equitable distribution of funds to postsecondary education institutions. Also requires the
board to submit its budget recommendations for postsecondary education institutions and
recommend priorities for capital construction and improvements. Present law requires the
board to establish a mission for each public postsecondary education system and each
institution within each system and requires that each such mission statement:
(1)Be included in and form the basis of the master plan.
(2)Include a description of the following:
(a)The intended role and scope of each system and institution.
(b)Its public service contribution.
(c)Its academic and research goals.
(d)Its contribution toward, and proper role in, the collective goals of public
postsecondary education of diversity, access, and excellence.
Proposed law requires the Bd. of Regents to conduct a comprehensive review of the state's
present postsecondary education system and recommend the optimal delivery of
postsecondary education in the future that will meet the needs of the state's citizens and
industries while maximizing the state's resources. Provides that the review shall be of the
state as a whole and of its workforce development areas ("regions"). Requires the board to
provide a report on findings and recommendations to the House and Senate committees on
education not later than 45 days prior to the start of the 2017 R.S. Requires that the report
include the following:
(1)A description of assets, including:
(a) The role, scope, and mission of each public postsecondary education
institution.
(b)Academic and nonacademic programs.
(c)Current centers of excellence.
(d)A list of each facility and all immovable property owned or leased by the
state's public postsecondary institutions, including a description of each
facility containing specified information.
(e)Certain institutional data.
(2)A description of needs to meet educational demand. Provides that educational
demand shall be determined according to specified considerations.
(3)A description of gaps (needs that exceed assets or assets that exceed needs).
(4)Recommendations on how to close such gaps, including whether certain actions are
needed and anticipated savings or costs associated with each.
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(5)A description of barriers.
(6)An executive summary of recommendations to ensure the state's public
postsecondary education system is operating in a manner that best meets the
educational demand of the state and each region.
Proposed law requires the Dept. of Economic Development, the La. Workforce Commission,
and each public postsecondary institution, management board, and system to fully cooperate
with Regents and provide data and assistance as requested.
Proposed law provides for repeal of proposed law on July 1, 2017; otherwise effective upon
signature of the governor or lapse of time for gubernatorial action.
(Adds R.S. 17:3140; Repeals R.S. 17:3140)
Summary of Amendments Adopted by Senate
Senate Floor Amendments to engrossed bill
1. Changes the provision from requiring the Department of Economic
Development and the Louisiana Workforce Commission to conduct the study
to providing data and assistance to the Board of Regents in producing the
report.
2. Requires the Board of Regents to include in its report the following
information relative to a description of the state's educational assets:
(a) Information on programs offered including those below the certificate
level and noncredit technical skills courses.
(b) Reduces from 10 years to five years the amount of information to be
included in the report about each academic and nonacademic program
including the enrollment and completion data for each. Provides that the
average program cost per student for the current year at each institution must
be included in the report.
(c) Specifics that the building defect data, including code violations, will be
only for the most recent twelve-month period.
(d) Adds the requirement that a prioritized list of capital outlay needs for
both new construction and deferred maintenance, with costs estimates where
available be included in the report.
(e) Changes the information to be included in the report regarding the
percentage of lower-level classes taught by full-time faculty to classes taught
by teaching and research assistants.
3. Requires the Board of Regents to include in its recommendation on closing
the gaps an option for privatizing higher education.
4. Requires the Board of Regents to include data on the financial impact of
institutions in the description of barriers in the report.
5. Technical corrections.
Summary of Amendments Adopted by House
The Committee Amendments Proposed by House Committee on Education to the
reengrossed bill:
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1. Provide for repeal of proposed law on July 1, 2017.
2. Revise requirements of the Bd. of Regents' report as follows:
(a)Require that the report include the specified information for the state as
a whole and for each region (also known as workforce development
areas).
(b)Relative to assets, require a list of each facility in addition to all
immovable property and include certain faculty and staff demographics
among required institutional data.
(c)Relative to needs, itemize considerations for determining educational
demand for the state and each region.
(d)Relative to gaps, require that recommendations identify anticipated costs
or savings of certain actions and remove requirement that
recommendations include whether maximizing use of all facilities in a
region is needed.
(e)Relative to barriers, specify that they be those barriers to creating a
comprehensive, efficient, and cost-effective public postsecondary
education system.
(f)Relative to the executive summary of recommendations, provide for
meeting the educational demand of the state and each region instead of
academic, workforce, and economic development needs.
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