Legislation that would prevent Louisiana’s colleges from using private and nonprofit donations in any way other than for their intended purpose stalled in the legislature’s House Education Committee Wednesday morning.
Sponsor Thomas Carmody Jr., R-Shreveport, said the issue arose out of the potential merger of Louisiana Tech, in Ruston, and LSU in Shreveport.
“People want the money they donate to be used for the benefit of that institution,” Carmody said.
The state could be on the verge of “downsizing” post-secondary education, he said, opening up the reality that money could be donated to specific schools or for the benefit of specific programs that will not exist in the future.
House Bill 1133, he said, would prevent donations from absorbed into college systems and their management boards.
LSU-S alumni Brian Bond said HB1133 would ensure that popular programs like LaPrep, a 20-year-old summer program that encourages minority and female middle school students to study math and science, get their full endowments.
Carmody pulled the bill from consideration before the panel voted on it. He said he would revisit it again with the panel next week.
