Published: May 14, 2026
By: Avery White, LSU Manship School News Service
BATON ROUGE — A bill to protect university faculty academic speech died in a Senate committee Tuesday.
The House bill authored by Rep. Chuck Owen, R-Rosepine, in its original form would have prohibited professors from receiving punishments for things said in the classroom or research topics. However, it was heavily watered down before advancing from the House floor.
The bill was kept in committee by Senate Judiciary A, on a 4-1 vote.
“I’m very frustrated,” Owen said.
As created, the bill provided protections and civil remedies for university staff who faced retributive action based on academic speech, allowing for punitive damages up to $500,000 and fines up to $100,000 against the university.
Read more at The News Star.
LSU Manship School Statehouse Bureau 
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