---
type: "Bill"
title: "TOPS: Provides for TOPS-Tech award eligibility for certain military veterans. (gov sig) (EN INCREASE GF EX See Note)"
description: "TOPS: Provides for TOPS-Tech award eligibility for certain military veterans. (gov sig) (EN INCREASE GF EX See Note)"
jurisdiction: "us/states/la"
legislature: "Louisiana Legislature"
session: "2020"
identifier: "SB 318"
citation: "Louisiana SB 318 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Stewart Cathey , Jr."]
version_count: 9
action_count: 22
vote_count: 4
first_action: "2020-02-28"
last_action: "2020-06-11"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/8b05dde0-dc9e-4e65-b038-29ce83d91209"
source_url: "http://www.legis.la.gov/Legis/BillInfo.aspx?i=238138"
source_hash: "a0f8fdc00e9237c047b333ff1434e479c49992fa4a2147ccac8c63607430a5c7"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-la"]
---

# Louisiana SB 318 (2020) — TOPS: Provides for TOPS-Tech award eligibility for certain military veterans. (gov sig) (EN INCREASE GF EX See Note)

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **SB318 Original** (filed) — [source](http://www.legis.la.gov/Legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1162668)
2. **SB318 Act 225** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.la.gov/Legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1182003)
3. **SB318 Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.la.gov/Legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1172424)
4. **SB318 Re-Reengrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.la.gov/Legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1174677)
5. **SB318 Reengrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.la.gov/Legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1174002)
6. **Senate Committee Amendment, #1109, EDUC, Adopted** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.la.gov/Legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1170138)
7. **Senate Committee Amendment, #1666, FNCE, Adopted** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.la.gov/Legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1173922)
8. **Senate Floor Amendment, #1776, Peacock, Adopted** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.la.gov/Legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1174433)
9. **SB318 Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](http://www.legis.la.gov/Legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1177539)

## Votes

- FINAL PASSAGE (#587) — **94–0** (pass) · lower
- REFER TO FINANCE (#241) — **28–7** (pass) · upper
- CO-AUTHORS (#264) — **13–0** (fail) · upper
- FINAL PASSAGE (#263) — **33–1** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Stewart Cathey , Jr. — primary (person)
- Aimee Adatto Freeman — cosponsor (person)
- Alan Seabaugh — cosponsor (person)
- Barbara Carpenter — cosponsor (person)
- Barbara Reich Freiberg — cosponsor (person)
- Barry Milligan — cosponsor (person)
- Beau Beaullieu — cosponsor (person)
- Beryl Amedee — cosponsor (person)
- Bryan Fontenot — cosponsor (person)
- Buddy Mincey — cosponsor (person)
- C. Denise Marcelle — cosponsor (person)
- C. Travis Johnson — cosponsor (person)
- Candace N. Newell — cosponsor (person)
- Chad Brown — cosponsor (person)
- Charles Owen — cosponsor (person)
- Christopher Turner — cosponsor (person)
- Cleo Fields — cosponsor (person)
- Danny McCormick — cosponsor (person)
- Daryl Adams — cosponsor (person)
- Daryl Deshotel — cosponsor (person)
- Debbie Villio — cosponsor (person)
- Dodie Horton — cosponsor (person)
- Dustin Miller — cosponsor (person)
- Ed Larvadain III — cosponsor (person)
- Foy Gadberry — cosponsor (person)
- Francis C. Thompson — cosponsor (person)
- Franklin J. Foil — cosponsor (person)
- Frederick D. Jones — cosponsor (person)
- Gabe Firment — cosponsor (person)
- Gary Carter — cosponsor (person)
- Gary L. Smith, Jr. — cosponsor (person)
- Glen Womack — cosponsor (person)
- Heather Cloud — cosponsor (person)
- Jack McFarland — cosponsor (person)
- Jason Hughes — cosponsor (person)
- Jay Morris — cosponsor (person)
- Jean-Paul Coussan — cosponsor (person)
- Jerome Zeringue — cosponsor (person)
- Joe Stagni — cosponsor (person)
- John "Big John" Illg , Jr. — cosponsor (person)
- John Stefanski — cosponsor (person)
- Joseph Marino — cosponsor (person)
- Julie Emerson — cosponsor (person)
- Kathy Edmonston — cosponsor (person)
- Ken Brass — cosponsor (person)
- Kenny Cox — cosponsor (person)
- Kyle M. Green , Jr. — cosponsor (person)
- Lance Harris — cosponsor (person)
- Larry Bagley — cosponsor (person)
- Larry Frieman — cosponsor (person)
- Larry Selders — cosponsor (person)
- Les Farnum — cosponsor (person)
- Louie Bernard — cosponsor (person)
- Mack Bodi White, Jr. — cosponsor (person)
- Mack Cormier — cosponsor (person)
- Mandie Landry — cosponsor (person)
- Marcus Bryant — cosponsor (person)
- Mark Abraham — cosponsor (person)
- Mark Wright — cosponsor (person)
- Mary DuBuisson — cosponsor (person)
- Matthew Willard — cosponsor (person)
- Michael Echols — cosponsor (person)
- Mike Johnson — cosponsor (person)
- Mike Reese — cosponsor (person)
- Neil Riser — cosponsor (person)
- Nicholas Muscarello — cosponsor (person)
- Pat Moore — cosponsor (person)
- Patrick Connick — cosponsor (person)
- Patrick McMath — cosponsor (person)
- Patrick O. Jefferson — cosponsor (person)
- Paul Hollis — cosponsor (person)
- R. Dewith Carrier — cosponsor (person)
- Raymond Crews — cosponsor (person)
- Rhonda Butler — cosponsor (person)
- Richard Nelson — cosponsor (person)
- Rick Edmonds — cosponsor (person)
- Robert "Bob" Owen — cosponsor (person)
- Robert Carter — cosponsor (person)
- Robert Mills — cosponsor (person)
- Rodney Lyons — cosponsor (person)
- Rodney Schamerhorn — cosponsor (person)
- Royce Duplessis — cosponsor (person)
- Ryan Bourriaque — cosponsor (person)
- Samuel Jenkins — cosponsor (person)
- Scott McKnight — cosponsor (person)
- Sherman Q. Mack — cosponsor (person)
- Stephanie Hilferty — cosponsor (person)
- Stephen Dwight — cosponsor (person)
- Thomas Pressly — cosponsor (person)
- Timothy P. Kerner — cosponsor (person)
- Tony Bacala — cosponsor (person)
- Troy Carter — cosponsor (person)
- Vincent J. Pierre — cosponsor (person)
- Vincent J. St. Blanc , III — cosponsor (person)
- Wayne McMahen — cosponsor (person)
- Wilford Carter , Sr. — cosponsor (person)
- William "Bill" Wheat , Jr. — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2020-06-11** Effective date 6/11/2020.
- **2020-06-11** Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 225. `executive-signature`
- **2020-06-01** Sent to the Governor by the Secretary of the Senate on 6/2/2020. `executive-receipt`
- **2020-06-01** Signed by the Speaker of the House.
- **2020-05-31** Enrolled. Signed by the President of the Senate.
- **2020-05-29** Received from the House without amendments.
- **2020-05-29** Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 94, nays 0. Finally passed, ordered to the Senate. `passage`
- **2020-05-29** Called from the calendar.
- **2020-05-29** Read by title, returned to the calendar.
- **2020-05-27** Scheduled for floor debate on 05/29/20.
- **2020-05-27** Read by title, passed to 3rd reading.
- **2020-05-27** Rules suspended.
- **2020-05-27** Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments.
- **2020-05-27** Reported favorably (11-0). Referred to the Legislative Bureau.
- **2020-05-21** Received in the House from the Senate, rules suspended, read by title, referred to the Committee on Education. `referral-committee`
- **2020-05-20** Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title and passed by a vote of 33 yeas and 1 nays; ordered re- reengrossed and sent to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled. `passage`
- **2020-05-19** Reported with amendments. Rules suspended. Read by title; Committee amendments read and adopted. Ordered reengrossed and passed to third reading and final passage.
- **2020-05-18** By a vote of 28 yeas and 7 nays.
- **2020-05-18** Read by title. Recommitted to the Committee on Finance.
- **2020-05-14** Reported with amendments. Rules suspended. Read by title; Committee amendments read and adopted. Ordered engrossed and passed to third reading and final passage.
- **2020-03-09** Introduced in the Senate; read by title. Rules suspended. Read second time and referred to the Committee on Education. `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-28** Prefiled and under the rules provisionally referred to the Committee on Education. `filing, referral-committee`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/8b05dde0-dc9e-4e65-b038-29ce83d91209`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Louisiana legislature records).