SB 142 requires public university management boards in Louisiana to maintain compliance with the original conditions attached to Board of Regents Support Fund matches. Specifically, it ensures that nonstate contributions matched with public funds (through endowment programs) must continue to follow their initial terms, including preserving the original matching funds' purpose and not altering the combined corpus of state and nonstate contributions. This directly affects all public postsecondary institutions receiving these matched funds, as they must uphold the same rules governing how those funds are used, invested, and protected. The bill does not create new programs but reinforces existing requirements for handling these specific state-matched endowments.
HB 570 modifies Louisiana's property tax rules to allow local taxing authorities (like parishes, cities, or school boards) to adjust millage rates after reassessments. It permits elected bodies to raise rates up to the constitutional maximum with a two-thirds vote (no voter approval needed), while non-elected bodies face a 2.5% annual revenue cap on increases. Unspent rate allowances expire after 2024 (2023 for Orleans Parish), resetting to 2026 rates, and rates automatically decrease if reassessment increases property values. The bill directly affects local governments setting property taxes and property owners paying those taxes, effective January 1, 2027, pending constitutional amendment approval.
HB 285 allows Louisiana high school boards to partner with credit unions to operate on-site branches at high schools. The bill requires these branches to be integrated into the state-mandated financial literacy course (R.S. 17:270), giving students hands-on experience managing personal finances. School boards must establish rules for outside use of buildings, including fees, under this new partnership framework. The policy directly affects high school students, school boards, and credit unions by embedding practical financial education into existing coursework.
HB 268 requires Louisiana public schools to provide career exposure activities for students in grades 6-8, mandating at least six activities annually per grade level. Three of these activities must align with high-demand Louisiana jobs (via Louisiana Works), involve employer interaction, link to career pathways, or offer work-based learning. It also requires schools to provide at least one career awareness activity for K-5 students before fifth grade and document at least one activity per student in their Individualized Graduation Plan. School boards must annually certify compliance to the state Department of Education and maintain records of these activities.
SB 13 modifies how Louisiana's Teachers' Retirement System calculates employer contributions and handles investment returns. It changes the method for applying excess investment returns to reduce the system's debt, specifically requiring reamortization (resetting payment schedules) when the system reaches 80% funding or every five years starting in 2019. This affects the state's payments into the retirement fund and directly impacts public school teachers' retirement benefits. The bill repeals outdated calculation rules and clarifies how future contributions will be applied to the system's debt.
SB 98 amends Louisiana law to expand the definition of "educator" to include school resource officers and security guards, in addition to existing roles like teachers and coaches. This change means the prohibition on sexual conduct between an educator and a student will now apply to these additional school staff members. The bill directly affects school security personnel and resource officers by bringing them under this legal protection, while extending coverage to students who interact with them. The amendment will take effect on August 1, 2026.
SB 305 requires Louisiana's Board of Regents and state agencies like Louisiana Works to create a free, public online dashboard showing how college programs connect to job outcomes. The dashboard will display data such as graduate employment rates, typical wages, and alignment with high-demand jobs, disaggregated by program. It aims to help students, families, and schools make informed decisions while allowing policymakers to assess workforce needs. The bill explicitly states it won’t mandate program changes, force performance funding, or disclose personal student information.
SB 338 requires Louisiana schools to follow specific procedures for investigating student bullying reports. It directly affects schools, students involved in bullying incidents, and their parents or guardians. The bill mandates that schools take disciplinary action against bullies after confirming incidents, report criminal bullying to police, and require bullies and their parents to complete court-approved decision-making courses. The State Board of Education must develop these procedures, which include parent meetings before disciplinary steps. The bill is pending review by the Education Committee after being prefiled on February 27, 2026.
SB 376, the "Learn and Earn Act," creates a new program allowing Louisiana public high schools to partner with businesses for paid, credit-bearing work-based learning opportunities. It requires school boards to establish career practicums through written agreements with businesses that ensure fair value exchange (e.g., businesses provide equivalent benefit for school resources used) and align with state-approved career pathways. The program directly affects high school students - especially in rural or underserved communities - by offering compensated job training in fields like healthcare or technology while meeting educational requirements. Key provisions mandate that these practicums operate exclusively within defined instructional boundaries, prioritize student safety/supervision, and integrate financial literacy and employability skills.
This bill modifies state law to exempt charter schools from a specific requirement that currently applies to public schools regarding student enrollment status. Under the existing rule, schools must identify students who are incarcerated or have unknown whereabouts to remove them from accountability calculations, but this bill adds that rule to the list of mandates that charter schools do not have to follow. The legislation directly affects charter school administrators by relieving them of the obligation to track and report these specific student populations for accountability purposes. By amending the statute, the bill clarifies that charter schools are not required to exclude incarcerated or missing students from their enrollment counts in the same way public schools must.
