Published: April 1, 2026
By: Sheridan White, LSU Manship School News Service
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana lawmakers are advancing a series of education and workforce bills aimed at expanding vocational opportunities for students and addressing gaps in training across the state.
Three key proposals – House Bills 325, 407 and 482 – highlight a broader push to make career pathways more flexible, accessible and in tune with workforce needs.
HB 325, proposed by Rep. Ken Brass, D-Vacherie, is designed to give graduating high school seniors an additional pathway to earn scholarship money under TOPS Tech program for vocational training.
The measure would allow students to qualify by completing nine hours of dual-enrollment coursework aligned with the skills of their chosen technical program rather than meeting the normal grade-point-average and ACT test requirements.
The TOPS Tech Award may be used for up to two years of skill or occupational training at any campus of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, accredited two-or-four-year public colleges or universities, or private colleges or universities.
Read more at WWNO.
LSU Manship School Statehouse Bureau 
Leave a comment