State Rep. Christopher Turner would ask the state to study the return on investment of the TOPS scholarship- program. (Courtesy of Louisiana House of Representatives) BATON ROUGE — A House committee advanced bills Tuesday that would study the return on investment of the TOPS scholarship program and potentially reclaim money from students who drop out or fail. House Resolution 17, presented by state Rep. Christopher Turner, R-Ruston, authorizes a study to determine whether or

State Rep. Jack McFarland proposed a new state budget that advanced through a House committee Monday. (Photo by Cross Harris / LSU Manship School News Service) BATON ROUGE — In the first step by the Legislature to transform Gov. Jeff Landry's proposed budget into its own, the House Appropriations Committee unanimously advanced House Bill 1 Monday that generally tracks his plan for a standstill state operating budget of $47 billion for the fiscal year starting July 1. The bi

State Rep. Nicholas Muscarello Jr., R-Hammond, said there are no statistics proving that capping damage awards lowers insurance premiums. ( Photo by Cross Harris/LSU Manship School News Service) BATON ROUGE — A bill that would have placed a cap on general damages in civil lawsuits was blocked 5-4 by a House committee on Tuesday after vigorous debate. House Bill 526, authored by state Rep. Kellee Hennessy Dickerson, R- Denham Springs, sought to place a $500,000 cap on civil

State Rep. Tammy Phelps proposed to establish a minimum wage for workers in Louisiana starting at $12 an hour. (Photo by Cross Harris / LSU Manship School News Service) BATON ROUGE — The House Labor Committee voted 7-5 along party lines to kill a bill that would have established a state minimum wage starting at $12 an hour on Jan. 1, 2027. Republicans voted against the bill; Democrats supported it. The party split was similar to votes in most years since former Gov. John Be

State Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter deferred his call for voters to consider a constitutional amendment to increase property tax exemptions. (Photo by Avery White / LSU Manship School News Service) BATON ROUGE — An amendment that would allow parishes to increase the homestead exemption failed 9-5 in a House committee hearing Tuesday while a Senate committee heard but deferred two similar homestead-exemption amendments. The House Ways and Means Committee did not advance House Bill 4

A bill sponsored by Rep. Beau Beaullieu would require the Louisiana secretary of state to submit the information of every registered voter to a federal database to verify voter eligibility. (Photo by Cross Harris / LSU Manship School News Service) BATON ROUGE — A House bill that would require the Louisiana secretary of state to submit details on every registered voter to a national database for investigation into their eligibility passed 73-29 Tuesday following extensive deba