The House Committee on Municipal, Provincial and Cultural Affairs moved House Bill 57 favorably after Jefferson Davis Parish Superintendent John Hall described a local plan to fund employee stipends via a ballot-authorized half-cent sales tax.

Representative Romero, sponsor of HB 57, said the parish school board seeks voter approval for a half-cent sales-and-use tax dedicated to stipends for school employees. Superintendent John Hall testified the board's goal is to make the district more competitive for teacher recruitment and retention; preliminary estimates cited in testimony projected stipends in the range of $3,000 to $4,000 per employee depending on revenue.

Hall told the committee the parish intends to begin collections as soon as possible; if voters approve the tax, the board could collect starting in January and issue a partial stipend the same school year with full payments in the following school year. "We want to collect as soon as possible and we want to give that money to our employees this coming school year," Hall said. He said the board had not yet finalized whether stipends would be identical across certified and support staff or tiered by position.

Representatives asked whether the ballot language would restrict the use of funds to school employees; Hall said the authorization would be written so proceeds are dedicated to employees and could not be used to fill other budget gaps. Several members, including Representative Jackson and Representative Stagney, praised the local initiative and moved the bill favorably; there were no objections in committee.

Action summary: motion to report HB 57 favorably carried; the bill authorizes the Jefferson Davis Parish School Board to seek voter approval for a one-half cent sales tax dedicated to stipends for school employees. If approved by voters, the tax would be levied parishwide and proceeds restricted to employee stipends as described by the sponsor.

Next steps: The bill moves to the House floor; if enacted and approved by local voters it would create a recurring, dedicated local revenue stream for employee stipends.