re: Louisiana State Budget & TOPS

Agree on all of these points. This would be a great time for the state to use change the requirements for TOPS and incorporate a post graduate "stay at home" requirement that would need to be fulfilled by the TOPS recipient. However, concurrently, we also need to make sure we have jobs in the state for graduates of TOPS programs, which would probably need corporate tax breaks to be achieved. If travel/tourism (festivals, conventions, etc.) will be less profitable for 12-18 months and oil prices are below $40/bbl (being generous using the 12M strip for WTI), this state is going to need to diversify its revenue base (legalize and tax weed, allow for sports gambling, and try to bring in other companies to employ TOPS graduates). Unfortunately, it is a long-term play and that will be hard to accomplish.