Proposed bill would offer tax credit for hiring interns

Published: May 2, 2023

By: Oscar Tickle, LSU Manship School News Service

Three Walker High students — (l-r) Madison Eymard, Julianna Easley and Sasha Caruso waited to discuss the intern bill. (photo credit: Oscar Tickle/LSU Manship School News Service)

BATON ROUGE, La. – Business owners: Would you hire a high school intern if you could receive a state tax credit of up to $2,500 in return?

That’s the proposal in House Bill 637, authored by Rep. Buddy Mincey, R-Denham Springs. It is not clear, however, how much that would cost the state, and Mincey agreed Monday to defer consideration of the bill until legislative budget analysts calculate that.

Under his plan, interns would have to go to public schools and would be paid for a minimum number of hours determined by the school. Students aged 16 and older would be eligible.

The internships would include classroom work as well as hands-on involvement in high-demand industries, including those that do not require a college education.