BATON ROUGE (AP) — Lawmakers in the Louisiana House have refused to turn over tuition-setting authority to the state's college system management boards.
House rejection Monday of the Senate-backed proposal killed a key priority of higher education leaders for the legislative session. They were seeking more autonomy to run their own operations.
Louisiana requires two-thirds support from lawmakers for college tuition increases, the highest hurdle in the nation.
Supporters of the constitutional amendment by Republican Sen. Jack Donahue said it could give colleges more flexibility. Opponents worried it could shift higher costs to students and make it easier for lawmakers to strip additional state financing from colleges.
Forty-seven members of the House voted for the bill, while 51 voted against it. It needed support from 70 members to pass.
