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TUESDAY: No Trouble in Appropriations for Workforce Bills
It was also a major week for workforce policy in House Appropriations, where a full slate of LABI-supported education and workforce bills cleared the committee—an important step that keeps these measures on track as the session enters its final month. The package reflects a comprehensive push to strengthen Louisiana’s talent pipeline from early childhood through career training and workforce readiness.
Among the measures advancing are bills expanding access to TOPS-Tech, increasing award amounts for technical training, investing in workforce instructor capacity, strengthening literacy outcomes and improving early childhood accountability and data tracking. Together, the legislation represents a coordinated effort to better align education outcomes with the needs of employers and the state’s evolving economy.
A centerpiece of the package is HB 549 by Rep. Stephanie Berault (R-Slidell), the BayouWorks program—LABI’s top workforce priority—which was conceptualized and championed by the organization to deliver rapid, employer-driven training that helps businesses fill critical job openings and compete for new investment. With all of these bills now through Appropriations, momentum continues to build behind a strong workforce agenda aimed at helping more Louisianans connect to high-wage, high-demand careers.
Also approved by the Committee…
HB 325 by Rep. Ken Brass (D-Vacherie) adds a third academic pathway for students pursuing a TOPS-Tech award by recognizing early college credit earned through dual enrollment or other validated skills-based learning measures. A student can complete at least nine credit hours of early college credit attained through dual enrollment courses or another approved pathway. The bill was amended to expand eligiblity to part-time students
Rep Brass’s HB 807 advances a major workforce training investment by establishing the Workforce Instructor Capacity Investment Program within Louisiana Community and Technical Colleges. The measure is designed to expand instructor capacity and strengthen training pipelines for high-wage, high-demand jobs across the state. The program would also be installed at LSU Eunice and Southern Shreveport.
HB 992 by Rep. Barbara Freiberg (R-Baton Rouge), a key early childhood accountability measure aimed at improving efficiency and transparency in Louisiana’s early care and education system. The bill would create continuity in student tracking by extending existing K-12 identification practices into early childhood education, giving policymakers and stakeholders better data on what programs are working—and where improvements are needed.
HB 316 by Rep. John Wyble (R-Bogalusa) expands Louisiana’s successful literacy instructor training program from grades K-3 to grades 4-8, helping ensure stronger long-term reading outcomes across more grade levels.