Devon Sanders
Two bills to expand TOPS eligibility that had been approved by the Senate failed Wednesday in the House Appropriations Committee.
The first bill, authored by Sen. Wesley Bishop, D-New Orleans, would have created the TOPS Second Chance Award for students who did not reach the ACT requirement to obtain a scholarship in high school. If they then maintained a 3.2 grade point average in their first two years in college, the award would have funded their final two years.
The bill failed 11-7. All votes against the bill came from Republicans.
The second bill, by Sen. Bodi White, R-Baton Rouge, introduced TOPS-Tech 2Plus2 Award. It would have applied to students who obtained a TOPS Tech Award, which provides tuition for a two-year associate degree program, and who wanted to continue their education at a four-year university.
Read the full story in The Daily Advertiser.
LSU Manship School Statehouse Bureau 