The House Education Committee on April 23 reported favorably a group of bills addressing a range of education issues: streamlining advisory councils and legislative reports at the Louisiana Department of Education; equalizing ACT score requirements for homeschooled students applying for TOPS; expanding eligibility for workforce training grants tied to economic development projects; adjusting financial-literacy requirements for high school students; and several other measures on teacher certification, scholarships and school operations.

The committee moved the package after proponents—including authors, state education officials, workforce and business leaders and nonprofit advocates—testified in support. Representative Owen, sponsor of HB589, told the committee the goal is to “streamline and to create efficiencies” at the department by consolidating advisory bodies and creating a process to review longstanding legislative reporting requirements for possible sunsetting.

Why it matters: the bills touch fiscal and workforce priorities (teacher pay and training programs), classroom-level instruction (numeracy and financial literacy) and administrative burdens (advisory groups and statutorily required reports). Several measures also aim to make state programs more accessible to specific groups, including homeschooled students, participants in the MJ Foster Promise workforce program and students in low-performing schools.

Key measures and debate

HB589 — Department of Education advisory groups and reports: Representative Owen said the bill would eliminate or consolidate „redundant advisory groups“ and establish a sunsetting review of the many legislative reports the department currently produces. Owen and Dr. Cade Brumley of the Louisiana Department of Education described dozens of advisory meetings and 76 statutorily required legislative reports created in a single fiscal year; the department noted an instance of a single report that required hand-delivering nearly 6,000 pages because statute required physical delivery. The committee adopted an amendment (Amendment Set 1342) to narrow which advisory groups are affected and to reduce some meeting-frequency requirements; HB589 was reported favorably as amended.

HB378 — TOPS ACT score parity for homeschooled students: Representative Wilder said the bill would eliminate a 2-point ACT penalty that homeschooled students currently must exceed compared with public-school peers to qualify for the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS). A homeschooled ninth-grade student, Isabella Abare, testified in support, saying the current requirement creates extra stress for students who are already taking national tests: “This bill is about fairness,” she said. The committee reported the bill favorably.

HB395 — MJ Foster Promise eligibility tied to LED projects: Representative Brass said HB395 expands eligible programs for the MJ Foster Promise workforce scholarship to include programs associated with Louisiana Economic Development (LED) projects, enabling alignment between announced industry projects and postsecondary training. Susan Bourgeois, Secretary of LED, and Quentin Taylor, a community college chancellor, described accelerated, customized associate-degree work and regional workforce needs. The committee adopted a technical amendment (Amendment Set 1183) that clarifies data-sharing among Board of Regents, LED and the workforce commission; HB395 was reported favorably with amendments.

HB52 — financial literacy instruction: Representative Willard described HB52 as adding postsecondary financing—scholarships, grants and loan information—to required financial-literacy instruction for high school students, citing a drop in FAFSA completion after the state removed a prior graduation-related FAFSA/TOPS-application requirement. Ashley Townsend of the Department of Education said the proposed topic is already part of the department’s suggested topics list; the bill would move it to required instruction. Multiple committee members supported reporting the bill favorably.

HB321 — numeracy teacher certification and professional development: Representative Weibel described HB321 as a permissive, funding-contingent package to align teacher-preparation, numeracy coaching and K–3 numeracy instruction with existing literacy reforms; an amendment (Amendment Set 1047) added an acronym. Sponsors and BESE/department witnesses framed the proposal as an extension of prior literacy-focused reforms. The committee reported HB321 as amended.

HB558 — MJ Foster initial eligibility: Representative Davis returned with HB558 to expand initial eligibility for the MJ Foster Promise program to include former inmates and younger adults; following stakeholder input, Davis offered and the committee adopted an amendment (Amendment Set 1409) that removes the most severe offenses from eligibility. Supporters argued the change helps workforce needs and reduces recidivism; committee members asked whether eligibility would require release from incarceration or completion of probation (sponsor said she would clarify that point before the floor). HB558 was reported with amendments.

HB109 — GoTeach scholarship stacking: Representative Thompson said HB109 would permit GoTeach scholarship awards to be applied earlier in a student’s enrollment so the awards can stack with TOPS (rather than be reserved as last-resort funds at the end of study). Regents and other witnesses said the change would not increase the program’s capped appropriation and that available GoTeach funds have been underused; the committee reported HB109 favorably.

Other bills the committee reported favorably

• HB142 — updates to the advisory council on historically Black colleges and universities (adds the Southern University chancellor to membership and allows Board of Regents support for student travel to meetings).

• HB466 — companion statutory language tied to a proposed constitutional measure to accelerate selected employer pension payments to TRSL and direct net savings to a permanent teacher pay increase (authors and TRSL staff described mechanics; the bill was amended to reference the companion constitutional amendment and was reported with amendments).

• HB51 — clarifies property/asset handling when a locally authorized charter transfers to BESE authorization (committee adopted an amendment to cover post-dissolution ownership and reported the bill with amendments).

• HB201 — expansion of the LA Read home library program to make students in D- and F-rated schools automatically eligible (sponsors cited Florida evidence that home-library programs improve reading outcomes; the fiscal effect depends on appropriation and the committee reported the bill favorably).

• HB213 — authorizes schools to sell or trade certain technology equipment (a buyback option to reduce e-waste and help schools refresh devices); reported favorably.

• HB246 — clarifies LSMSA (Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts) salary-schedule and funding language so salaries and related costs are explicit in statute (sponsors described the school’s dependence on legislative appropriation; the committee reported the bill favorably).

Votes at a glance (committee action)

- HB589 (Owen) — amendment adopted (Amendment Set 1342); mover: Rep. Brass; outcome: reported favorably as amended.
- HB378 (Wilder) — mover: Rep. Taylor (motion to report); outcome: reported favorably.
- HB395 (Brass) — amendment adopted (Amendment Set 1183); mover: Rep. Freyberg; outcome: reported favorably as amended.
- HB52 (Willard) — mover: Rep. Taylor; outcome: reported favorably.
- HB321 (Weibel) — amendment adopted (Amendment Set 1047); mover: Rep. Carver; outcome: reported favorably as amended.
- HB558 (Davis) — amendment adopted (Amendment Set 1409); mover: Rep. Freyberg; outcome: reported favorably as amended.
- HB109 (Thompson) — mover: Rep. Brass; outcome: reported favorably.
- HB142 (Mena) — mover: Rep. Brass; outcome: reported favorably.
- HB466 (Carlson/Emerson companion) — technical amendment adopted (Amendment Set 1327) tying it to the constitutional companion; mover: Rep. Fryberg/others; outcome: reported with amendments.
- HB51 (Young) — amendment adopted (Amendment Set 1519); mover: Rep. Young; outcome: reported with amendments.
- HB201 (St. Blanc) — mover: Rep. St. Blanc; outcome: reported favorably.
- HB213 (St. Blanc) — mover: Rep. Edmondson; outcome: reported favorably.
- HB246 (Amade) — mover: Rep. Taylor; outcome: reported favorably.

What the record shows about resources and trade-offs

Sponsors and department officials repeatedly emphasized administrative burden at LDOE (dozens of advisory group meetings scheduled in a year and 76 statutorily required reports generated in one fiscal year) and the intent to protect staff time for direct student work. Workforce and economic-development witnesses described multi-thousand-job projects and a need for accelerated, customized training pathways tied to LED projects. Several bills are explicitly subject to appropriation; multiple sponsors noted that final effects—especially for programs that expand enrollment or add book distributions—depend on funding decisions by the legislature.

What didn’t happen

No bill was defeated on the floor of committee. Several bills that included eligibility changes (MJ Foster and others) were narrowed by amendment after stakeholder discussion. On HB558 sponsors agreed to further clarify whether program eligibility requires completion of incarceration and how probationary status affects eligibility; that point was left for sponsors to resolve before the floor.

Next steps

All bills reported favorably will be placed on the House calendar or otherwise advanced per House rules. Sponsors and state agencies indicated they would continue to refine statutory language (for example, eligibility definitions for MJ Foster and implementation details for teacher-pay mechanics tied to pension payments) ahead of floor debate and appropriations action.

Ending note

Committee members and witnesses across the political and stakeholder spectrum framed many of the bills as practical steps—either to reduce administrative burden at the Department of Education, strengthen classroom supports, or align education pipelines with immediate workforce demands. Several measures will require appropriation or a companion constitutional change before their full effects are realized.