The budget standstill could be coming to an end. The Senate Finance committee is laying out its plans to tackle this fiscal year’s 900-million dollar budget deficit. It’s likely a conference committee will be needed to iron out differences between the House and Senate when it comes to cuts and taxes. But Senate President John Alario likes the direction that budget talks are heading…
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Lawmakers have begun filing bills for the regular session to alter the TOPS scholarship program. Jennings Senator Blade Morrish says legislators tried to cap the amount of the dollars going to TOPS last year, but former Governor Bobby Jindal vetoed the bill. He says lawmakers also want to address the situation of TOPS students dropping out without graduating…
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The Senate Education Chairman has also filed legislation so that TOPS would no longer cover 100-percent of a student’s tuition.

Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle announced today he’s joining the race for the 3rd Congressional District seat. Jeff Palermo reports…:
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UL-Lafayette will have to vacate 22 football games between 2011 and 2014 after two-year investigation by the NCAA Committee. The committee found that a former assistant coach falsified ACT scores for five students, which means those students were ineligible to play. The voice of the Ragin Cajuns Jay Walker says he understands the committee’s ruling and the school accepts the penalties and will move on.
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