FUNDS/FUNDING: Establishes the Law Enforcement Retention Incentive Subfund within the Law Enforcement Recruitment Incentive Fund (RE SEE FISC NOTE GF EX)
Summary
HB 981 amends Louisiana’s law enforcement incentive law to create a new Law Enforcement Retention Incentive Subfund inside the existing Law Enforcement Recruitment Incentive Fund. The bill keeps the current recruitment incentive program in place, but adds a separate retention program aimed at law enforcement officers employed by public postsecondary education institutions. Under the new retention program, qualifying officers would receive a monthly stipend funded from the new subfund, in an amount tied to the existing supplemental pay rate for municipal law enforcement officers.
To qualify for the retention stipend, an officer must complete one year of full-time employment at a public postsecondary education institution and obtain POST certification within one year of starting work. The bill also preserves the existing recruitment incentive structure for newly employed officers at eligible agencies, including sheriffs’ offices, municipal police departments, and state police, with a one-time $5,000 payment for eligible new hires who meet certification and service requirements. The bill specifies how payments are requested, approved, and disbursed, and it requires reimbursement of recruitment incentive payments if an officer leaves early, has an extended break in service, or is dismissed for cause.
Impact
HB 981 would amend R.S. 40:1669 by adding a new retention incentive program and subfund while leaving the recruitment incentive program in place. It changes how remaining money in the existing recruitment fund is handled at the program’s termination date by directing those monies into the new retention subfund rather than the state general fund. The bill also imposes administrative duties on the state treasurer, local law enforcement agencies, and public postsecondary institution police departments to certify eligibility, process payments, and track reimbursement obligations. Its practical effect is to create a dedicated funding stream for retaining campus law enforcement officers and to expand the state’s use of incentive pay as a workforce tool in public safety.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have broad support, at least in the House, where it passed final passage unanimously 94-0. The available materials show no recorded committee testimony or floor debate opposing the measure. The overall tone of the legislation is supportive of law enforcement staffing needs, especially recruitment and retention challenges, and the amendments suggest lawmakers were focused on refining the funding structure rather than disputing the policy goal.
Contention
There is little visible controversy in the available record, but the main policy distinction is between recruitment incentives for general law enforcement agencies and retention incentives limited to public postsecondary education institution police officers. The bill also raises administrative and fiscal questions about how the state treasurer will manage transfers between the existing fund and the new subfund, and how agencies will verify eligibility and recover payments when officers do not complete the required service period. The House amendments indicate some attention to preserving the original recruitment program’s termination date while redirecting leftover funds to the new retention purpose.
Establishes the La. Dividend Program within the Dept. of Treasury and provides for funding, administration, qualifications, and restrictions (RR SEE FISC NOTE SD EX)
Establishes the High Impact Job Program within Louisiana Economic Development and provides for administration of the program (EN SEE FISC NOTE SD EX See Note)