Provides relative to the Advisory Council on Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Summary
HB 142 revises Louisiana law governing the Advisory Council on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The bill expands the council from 24 to 26 members and updates its membership list to reflect current institutional and governmental representation. It adds a student body president from a Louisiana public or private HBCU, selected annually by the HBCU student body presidents, and adds an at-large member appointed by the council chair to serve no more than two years. The bill also makes technical renumbering changes to existing member slots to accommodate the new positions.
The measure also clarifies how council members are compensated for expenses. Members continue to serve without pay, but may be reimbursed for expenses by the appointing authority. In addition, the Board of Regents is specifically authorized to pay travel and lodging expenses for the student member attending council meetings. Finally, the bill expands the council’s duties by directing it to help identify and share best practices regarding campus safety, in addition to its existing advisory role to the commissioner of higher education on strengthening HBCUs and improving the state’s support for them.
Impact
HB 142 amends R.S. 17:3138.7, the statute creating the Advisory Council on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, by changing council composition, expense reimbursement rules, and the scope of the council’s advisory duties. It affects the membership and operations of the council, the Board of Regents, HBCU leadership, legislative appointees, and the student representative process. The bill also adds campus safety as an express area of focus, which may influence future policy recommendations affecting Louisiana’s HBCUs and their students.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the House 100-0 and the Senate 35-0, indicating unanimous approval in both chambers. The absence of committee transcript discussion suggests the measure was treated as a routine update to an existing advisory body rather than a contested policy change.
Contention
No significant opposition or controversy is evident in the available record. The only potentially notable policy choices were the addition of a student member, the creation of an at-large seat, and the explicit inclusion of campus safety among the council’s duties. These changes appear to have been accepted without dispute, and the unanimous votes suggest broad agreement across chambers and among stakeholders.