Veterans (Veteran Employment)

HB 436 would allow Louisiana municipalities to appoint veterans as park police officers and the state Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism to appoint veterans as state park wardens. It updates existing laws (R.S. 33:4558 and R.S. 56:1688) to explicitly include veterans - defined per R.S. 13:5364 - as eligible candidates for these roles. The bill directly affects veterans seeking such positions and the parks where they would serve. This is a procedural change to hiring criteria, not a new benefit or entitlement.

SB 105 amends Louisiana's TOPS program to expand eligibility for the TOPS-Tech Award to veterans honorably discharged from U.S. military installations located in Louisiana. To qualify, veterans must earn a 17+ ACT score (or equivalent SAT/ACT WorkKeys silver level) and submit their DD-214 discharge documents. The bill specifically applies to the 2020-2023 academic years and targets veterans who served at Louisiana military bases. It modifies existing eligibility rules without changing funding or creating new benefits, focusing solely on qualifying veterans for technical college financial aid.

HB 450 adds five points to the final test score of veterans applying for entry-level firefighter or police positions in Louisiana civil service. It applies to veterans who served 180+ days honorably during wartime and received an honorable discharge, as verified by the hiring board. The bill modifies existing law (sections 33:2491(E) and 33:2551(5)) to include this scoring adjustment for competitive employment lists. This change directly affects veterans seeking these public safety jobs by potentially improving their ranking in hiring processes.