Committee advances bill continuing bonded capital outlay program for community and technical colleges

The Senate Committee on Revenue and Fiscal Affairs on April 15 reported Senate Bill 72 as amended, a bill to continue a bonded capital-outlay financing program for the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS).

Senator Reese explained the bill as a continuation of prior capital-outlay initiatives (referencing Act 391 of 2007 and Act 360 of 2013). He said those earlier acts funded dozens of facility projects statewide and that SB 72 would allow the system to continue issuing bonds at an annual debt-service level not to exceed $43,900,000 to support new facilities and renovations across multiple campuses.

Senator Reese also offered an amendment set (amendment set 455, adopted by unanimous consent) that changed the bill's effective date to July 1, 2025 (a technical fiscal staff recommendation) and broadened the types of match the system may use. Committee members discussed that the amendment would permit the fair-market value of donated or shared property (including property controlled by hospital districts or other state institutions) to count toward the local match requirement for projects.

Amani (Dr.) Sullivan, president of the Community and Technical College System, told the committee the program has delivered hundreds of millions of dollars in facilities since 1998 and that continuing the program would help modernize training labs and expand enrollment, particularly in rural areas. Senators who spoke praised the program as a workforce-development engine and supported the amendment.

Senator Jenkins moved that SB 72 be reported favorable as amended; the committee recorded the bill as "reported as amended."