The Jefferson Chamber of Commerce has submitted a letter in support of Senate Bill 174, by Senator Jack Donahue, promoting TOPS reform.
To: Members of the Louisiana House of Representatives and State Senate
From: Todd Murphy, President, Jefferson Chamber of Commerce
Re: Support for SB 174, TOPS Reform
The Jefferson Chamber of Commerce is in support of Senate Bill 174 by Senator Jack Donahue which provides requirements relative to the minimum ACT score for TOPS eligibility and TOPS award amounts. This legislation addresses our Chambers’ legislative priority of autonomy for higher education institutions in 2016. The Jefferson Chamber represents the Parish with the largest public school district in the State with nearly 50,000 high school students.
The proposed law states that, beginning with the 2017-2018 award year, the amount awarded by the State to a student who is the recipient of any TOPS award shall be equal to the award amount established for each respective award at the post-secondary institution in which the student is enrolled for the 2016-2017 award year.
Our Chamber is an advocate for education reforms that create more autonomy for higher education institutions. Decoupling the amount awarded in a TOPS grant from the ever increasing tuition of a higher education institution will help to maintain a steady and predictable funding source. Furthermore, this legislation, if passed, would open the gateway to other higher education reforms for the State.
For these reasons, we urge passage of this legislation.
Sincerely,
Todd Murphy
Jefferson Chamber of Commerce
