Gov. Bobby Jindal (R)
Date of Speech: March 10
In his opening speech to the 2014 legislature in Louisiana, Gov. Jindal said state spending on higher education would increase by more than $141 million, or about 5.5 percent, next year under his budget proposal for 2014-15. The higher education budget for the current fiscal year totals $2.6 billion. According to Mr. Jindal, the increase will include $40 million for a “higher education workforce incentive initiative.”
The governor also praised the state for implementing “one of the nation’s largest school choice systems” and for bringing high school graduation rates to an “all-time high.”
