Louisiana is trying to fight its way through a state budget crisis, which has threatened the viability of all college athletics in the state due mostly to the possibility of class cancellations creating ineligible student-athletes.

Enter Louisiana House Bill No. 971, presented by Rep. Steve Carter.

The proposed bill would limit the travel to regular-season athletic competitions to 375 miles for schools not named LSU.

Rather than try to explain what the proposed bill is trying to accomplish, I’ll instead let you read an excerpt of the abstract yourself:

Prohibits athletic programs at public postsecondary education institutions that receive state general fund monies from traveling more than 375 miles for athletic competitions. Excludes LSU institutions and all football and basketball programs. Proposed law requires the boards of supervisors of Southern University, the University of La. System, and the Community and Technical Colleges to develop and implement policies to prohibit athletic programs from traveling more than 375 miles to compete in athletic competitions. Provides that proposed law does not apply to: (1) Football or basketball programs. (2) A playoff or championship competition. (3) An athletic competition hosted by an opposing school that pays all travel and associated costs for the La. team.

This would allow LSU to continue to conduct its business in the SEC as usual, in all sports.

And while it is nice that it would allow non-LSU football programs to continue to play as scheduled, it is worth noting that such restrictions to other sports would put these school’s conference affiliations in serious jeopardy.

Schools like UL-Lafayette, UL-Monroe and Louisiana Tech, to name a few, would have a serious gripe about the LSU exemption if this proposed bill were put into law.

It is also worth noting that Carter, the author of the bill, is reported to be a former tennis coach and assistant athletics director at LSU.