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 Rep. Christopher Turner, R-Ruston, authorizes a study to determine whether or not TOPS is delivering enough value to justify the state’s $320 million annual price tag.

The study would bring together the Louisiana Board of Regents, the Louisiana Workforce Commission, Louisiana Economic Development and the Kathleen Blanco Public Policy Center. Using decades of data, the review would examine whether TOPS recipients remain in Louisiana, what they earn and whether they enter high-demand industries.

Lawmakers said the lack of a thorough evaluation has left major gaps in understanding the program’s true impact.

The timing is also significant. With Gov. Jeff Landry projecting potential job growth in the state, legislators want to ensure that education funding aligns with workforce needs.

“Most of us on this committee have been hoping for this kind of review for years,” Freiberg said.

One of the most debated proposals on Tuesday was House Bill 385 by Dennis Bamburg, R-Bossier City, that would require students to repay their TOPS funding if they fail or drop out of college. The bill narrowly advanced from the Education Committee in a 6-5 vote. Bamburg argued the current system lacks accountability, noting that TOPS receives roughly $320 million annually from taxpayers. His proposal would require students to repay the full amount of aid received, though it includes exemptions for circumstances such as family hardship, health issues or drug addiction.

Students in the program’s highest tiers – excellence and honors – would also be exempt, as would those who transfer from a four-year university to a technical college.

Supporters said the measure ensures taxpayer dollars are better protected. However, some lawmakers have suggested a less stringent approach. Rep. Barbara Freiberg, R-Baton Rouge, has argued that students should be required to repay only the money they received for the semester they failed, rather than their entire award.

Opposition has also come from higher education advocates. Dr. James Caillier, a former executive director of the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation, criticized the proposal, emphasizing that merit-based scholarships are traditionally not repaid.

“Merit scholarships are designed for those students who demonstrate academic excellence,” Caillier said. “If they don’t, they lose it, but we don’t make them pay back scholarships.”

A similar but more structural proposal came from Rep. Peter Egan, R-Covington, in House Bill 1021. His bill would convert the first year of TOPS funding into a loan, which would be forgiven only if the student graduates within five years.

Egan framed the proposal to encourage more intentional decision-making by students and families.

"I have a serious concern with the way that the whole TOPS structure has influenced that aspect of life in allowing parents to get their kids out of the house... let them find themselves, and the taxpayers pay for it," Egan said.

Data cited during the debate showed that students receiving TOPS graduate in an average of 4.5 years, compared to six years for those without the scholarship. Still, Egan ultimately deferred his bill to collaborate with Bamburg on a unified approach.

In addition to the headline proposals, two related bills advanced without opposition.

House Bill 1058, also sponsored by Bamburg, would create a centralized data system within the Board of Regents to track all state financial aid. The goal is to provide better data to support Turner’s study and future policy decisions.

“This bill will help us ensure that every dollar that we invest in financial aid is working as hard as possible for Louisiana students,” Bamburg said.

Meanwhile, House Bill 1059 by Rep. Reese Broussard, R-Jennings, focuses on aligning TOPS eligibility requirements with upcoming changes to high school math curriculum. The bill adjusts core curriculum requirements to match updates from the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, while maintaining academic standards and offering students more flexibility in course selection.

“This does not lower the standards,” Broussard said. “It simply aligns with BESE’s upcoming changes and ensures that students have more flexibility.”

Together, these measures signal a growing bipartisan effort to reevaluate how Louisiana invests in higher education. While opinions differ on how to reform TOPS, there is broad agreement that more data and accountability are needed.

If Turner’s resolution is adopted, its findings, due by Feb. 15 next year, could play a critical role in shaping the future of TOPS and ensuring that one of the state’s largest education investments delivers meaningful returns for both students and taxpayers.