Louisiana § RS 49:1101 - Naming state statutory entities, agencies, departments, offices, or budget units

§ RS 49:1101. Naming state statutory entities, agencies, departments, offices, or budget units

A.  Except as designated by the Constitution of Louisiana or as provided in R.S. 49:215(D) or Subsection B of this Section, no statutory entity, as defined in R.S. 49:190, or "agency", "department", or "office", as defined in R.S. 36:3, or budget unit, as that term is used in Part II of Chapter 1 of Subtitle I of Title 39 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, shall be named or renamed except by a law enacted by the legislature.  Organizational units of the executive branch of state government shall be designated by terminology as provided in R.S. 36:9.

B.(1)  The powers, duties, and responsibilities of the Board of Regents for all public higher education pursuant to Article VIII, Section 5 of the Constitution of Louisiana shall include the power and authority to name or rename institutions of public higher education.

(2)(a)  Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection C of this Section, the Board of Regents, or its successor, shall change the name of any university designated in R.S. 17:3217 (1) through (9) to the "University of Louisiana at (its geographic location)" or its current name provided said name change is requested by the chief executive officer of the university, which, provided all requirements of this Paragraph have been complied with, shall be approved by both the Board of Trustees for State Colleges and Universities and the Board of Regents. Any such name change shall in no way affect the status of Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College as the premier flagship university for the state.

(b)  The provisions of this Paragraph shall be implemented and become effective provided no less than two institutions make a request for and are approved to change the institutional name pursuant to Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph.

(c)  Nothing contained in this Paragraph, or in any other provision of law, shall authorize the Board of Regents, or its successor, to change the name of any university unless the chief executive officer of that university presents to that board an express written request for that change of name.  The Board of Regents, or its successor, shall not force or coerce any chief executive officer of any university to request a change of name for that university.

(d)  With regard to Grambling State University, the Board of Regents, or its successor, shall not take any action to change the name of Grambling State University unless the name change has been approved by a majority of the alumni voting in a referendum on that question at the annual meeting of the Alumni Association, by a majority of the student body voting in a referendum on that question, and by a majority of the Faculty Senate voting in a referendum on that question, and the president of Grambling State University has issued a written statement concurring in the actions of the alumni, the students, and the faculty.

C.  Any contrary action taken by any management board of higher education notwithstanding, the names of the public institutions of higher education in the state of Louisiana shall be, on the effective date of this Section, as provided by the legislature in R.S. 17:3215 through 3217.  Prior to naming any newly created or renaming any existing institution of public education, the Board of Regents shall obtain legislative approval of any proposed name or name change by concurrent resolution adopted by a vote of at least a majority of the membership of each house of the legislature.

Acts 1984, No. 656, §1; Acts 1987, No. 736, §2; Acts 1995, No. 45, §2, eff. June 8, 1995; Acts 1995, No. 634, §2, eff. June 20, 1995; Acts 1998, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 151, §2, eff. July 1, 1999; Acts 2013, No. 220, §23, eff. June 11, 2013; Acts 2014, No. 791, §18.