House committee passes heavily amended bill on universities’ presidential searches, donor records

Published: April 29, 2026

By: Sheridan White, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE – A heavily amended Senate bill that would limit the public release of information on who is a candidate for high-profile university positions and also shield the identity of university donors advanced through a House committee Tuesday.

As amended, Senate Bill 289, authored by Sen. Mark Abraham, R-Lake Charles and unanimously approved by the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs, would require state universities to release the names of three finalists in searches for new presidents and other top jobs.

Abraham’s original bill would have allowed for the process to be kept entirely confidential. His bill was a response to concerns that qualified applicants who hold an executive position elsewhere might be discouraged from applying if their names were made public.

The bill stalled in a House and Governmental Affairs Hearing last Thursday after members expressed concerns about the protection of donor names and “dark money.”