§ 46:460.7 — Incentive Award Program; dropout reduction; teen pregnancy reduction

Louisiana § 46:460.7

• Jurisdiction: Louisiana
• Title 46: Public Welfare and Assistance

Text

§460.7. Incentive Award Program; dropout reduction; teen pregnancy reduction
NOTE: Subsection A eff. until Oct. 1, 2027. See Acts 2025, No. 478.
A. The Department of Children and Family Services in consultation with the
Department of Education shall develop and implement a special program, the Incentive
Award Program, whereby the governing authority of a parish and a parish school system may
receive a financial award for reducing the teen pregnancy rate and dropout rate for the parish.
NOTE: Subsection A as amended by Acts 2025, No. 478, eff. Oct. 1, 2027.
A. Louisiana Works in consultation with the Department of Education shall develop
and implement a special program, the Incentive Award Program, whereby the governing
authority of a parish and a parish school system may receive a financial award for reducing
the teen pregnancy rate and dropout rate for the parish.
B. The department, in developing this program, shall:
(1) Develop and define the standards to be used to measure progress.
(2) Develop the procedure to be used to collect relevant data to be used to determine
progress.
(3) Require that the data collected be compiled into an annual progress report which
ranks each parish relative to the progress made by the parish in the relevant categories and
provide for the delivery of said report to each school, parish governing authority, and parish
school system in the state.
(4) Provide for the annual identification of at least ten parishes which have made the
most significant progress in the past year and which will be eligible for the financial award.
NOTE: Subsection C eff. until Oct. 1, 2027. See Acts 2025, No. 478.
C. Through the Incentive Award Program, the department shall provide a financial
award to each of the ten parishes identified in the annual progress report which have
demonstrated the most significant reduction in dropout rates, as defined by rule of the
Department of Education, and in teen pregnancy rates as defined by rule of the Department
of Children and Family Services. The financial award shall be distributed to such ten parish
school systems. These awards may be expended by the parish school system to implement
innovative community-based and school-based programs designed to further reduce the
dropout rate and the teen pregnancy rate for the parish and for instructional enhancement
programs.
NOTE: Subsection C as amended by Acts 2025, No. 478, eff. Oct. 1, 2027.
C. Through the Incentive Award Program, the department shall provide a financial
award to each of the ten parishes identified in the annual progress report that have
demonstrated the most significant reduction in dropout rates, as defined by rule of the
Department of Education, and in teen pregnancy rates as defined by rule of Louisiana
Works. The financial award shall be distributed to the ten parish school systems. These
awards may be expended by the parish school system to implement innovative community-based and school-based programs designed to further reduce the dropout rate and the teen
pregnancy rate for the parish and for instructional enhancement programs.
D. No award shall be granted through the Incentive Award Program until such time
as the state of Louisiana receives a financial bonus award from the federal government
provided for in the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of
1996, which provides for awards to the five states that have demonstrated the largest net
decrease in the rate of out-of-wedlock births.

Legislative History

Acts 1997, No. 510, §1; Acts 2025, No. 478, §13, eff. Oct. 1, 2027.