Senate fine-tunes TOPS awards

BATON ROUGE – The Senate on Monday passed two bills that would create new TOPS awards, giving students a second chance to receive the popular scholarships.
Sen. Wesley Bishop, D-New Orleans, proposed an award for students who did not qualify for TOPS upon completion of high school but scored at least 17 on ACT. There are currently 82 students who would qualify.
Bishop estimated that his bill would cost about $445,000. His bill passed the Senate on a 20-15 vote.
Sen. Bodi White, R-Baton Rouge, proposed an award for community college students who plan to enroll in four-year institutions after earning an associate degree within two years. White said he does not know what the cost would be in the long run. His bill passed the Senate 26-9.
Sen. Barrow Peacock, R-Bossier City, argued that both bills are good, but could have significant revenue impact.
These expenditures cannot yet be calculated because the awards would become effective with the graduating class of 2021.