House committee backs fund to expand community‑college instructors amid big industrial buildout

The House Education Committee on Wednesday voted to report House Bill 807, a measure to create a workforce instructor capacity investment program intended to help Louisiana’s two‑year colleges scale training as dozens of large industrial projects proceed. Representative Brass, the bill’s sponsor, said the fund would be used “toward the recruitment, retention and educating housing structures along with incentivizing our private, private public sector as far as partnerships” to bring industry instructors into classrooms.

Supporters told the committee the shortage of qualified instructors is a bottleneck for rapidly expanding workforce programs. Paul Donaldson, vice chancellor of academic affairs at River Parishes Community College, said instructor sharing with industry partners has let the college deliver more classes to dual‑enrolled students. Stacy Gautreaux, Dow’s director of public affairs on the U.S. Gulf Coast, described a pilot in which Dow loaned employees to teach courses and said the company has increased apprenticeship slots and invested in training: “We pay an hourly wage of about $24.25 an hour while we’re paying for their school,” she told the committee.

Chandler Labuff of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System said the program would focus spending on programs aligned with high‑wage, high‑demand occupations (process technology, lineman training, CDL, nursing) and work in consultation with Louisiana Works to prioritize needs.

Lawmakers pressed the panel on why a new fund was needed rather than routing money through existing systems. Representative Omidy asked whether the community‑college system or LA Works could administer the effort; Brass said the bill is intended to create an additional, flexible tool to attract outside investment and incentivize partnerships that existing base allocations cannot deliver quickly.

An amendment added two two‑year university campuses to the list of eligible institutions (raising the count from 12 to 14). After committee debate and testimony from industry and education partners, the committee adopted the amendment and reported HB 807 favorably by roll call (13 yeas, 1 nay).

What’s next: The bill now goes to the House floor. Committee supporters said they will continue refining appropriation language and program rules to address accountability and rulemaking concerns raised during questioning.