By TODD HORNE, Executive Editor

The Louisiana House voted 91-4 Wednesday to pass HB 608, a bill that would create new public-records exemptions for documents tied to intercollegiate athletics revenue-sharing programs.

The bill, authored by Rep. Tehmi Chassion, now heads to the Louisiana Senate.

HB 608 would amend state law governing intercollegiate athlete compensation and rights. The engrossed version passed by the House states that the total amount of revenue expended by a postsecondary institution each fiscal year as part of a revenue-sharing program would remain subject to public disclosure. But it would make confidential several categories of records, including the amount or percentage paid to a specific athlete, the amount or percentage allocated to a specific sport or athletic program, and documents related to negotiations with athletes.

Public universities began operating under the new athlete revenue-sharing model on July 1, 2025, following approval of the House v. NCAA settlement. LSU and other major athletic departments are now permitted to share millions of dollars annually with athletes using institutional revenues such as television contracts, ticket sales and sponsorships.

The measure is significant because it would not merely protect individual athlete payment details. It would also shield sport-by-sport allocation records from disclosure, meaning the public could see the total amount spent on revenue sharing but not how much was allocated to football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball or other athletic programs.

The House vote came at 3:41 p.m. Wednesday. The final roll call was 91 yeas, 4 nays and 10 absent.

House Vote on HB 608

YEAS — 91

Phillip DeVillier, Roy Daryl Adams, Beryl Amedee, Tony Bacala, Larry Bagley, Dennis Bamburg Jr., Mike Bayham Jr., Beau Beaullieu, Stephanie Berault, Beth Billings, Doyle Boudreaux, Ryan Bourriaque, Delisha Boyd, Chad Boyer, Ken Brass, Jacob Braud, Reese “Skip” Broussard, Marcus Bryant, Rhonda Butler, Josh Carlson, Dewith Carrier, Kim Carver, Tehmi Chassion, Emily Chenevert, Kimberly Coates, Vincent Cox III, Raymond Crews, Daryl Deshotel, Jason DeWitt, Kellee Dickerson, Jessica Domangue, Michael Echols, Kathy Edmonston, Peter Egan Sr., Les Farnum, Gabe Firment, Adrian Fisher, Bryan Fontenot, Barbara Freiberg, Foy Gadberry, Jay Gallé Jr., Brett Geymann, Brian Glorioso, Kyle Green Jr., Troy Hebert, Chance Henry, Dana Henry, Dodie Horton, John Illg Jr., Steven Jackson, Mike Johnson, Travis Johnson, Edmond Jordan, Timothy Kerner, Alonzo Knox, Jeremy LaCombe, Vanessa LaFleur, Jacob Landry, Terry Landry Jr., Rodney Lyons, Shane Mack, Chasity Martinez, Danny McCormick, Wayne McMahen, Dixon McMakin, Michael Melerine, Shaun Mena, Dustin Miller, Pat Moore, Ed Murray, Nicholas Muscarello, Candace Newell, Joseph Orgeron, Charles Owen, Neil Riser, Paul Sawyer, Rodney Schamerhorn, Laurie Schlegel, Annie Spell, Vinney St. Blanc, Joseph Stagni, Phillip Tarver, Sylvia Taylor, Polly Thomas, Christopher Turner, Lauren Ventrella, Debbie Villio, Roger Wilder III, Jeff Wiley, John Wyble and Jerome “Zee” Zeringue.

NAYS — 4

Robby Carter, Wilford Carter Sr., Mandie Landry and Ed Larvadain III.

ABSENT — 10

Barbara Carpenter, Aimee Freeman, Stephanie Hilferty, Denise Marcelle, Jack McFarland, Tammy Phelps, Francis Thompson, Joy Walters, Mark Wright and Rashid Armand Young.

What Happens Next

HB 608 now moves to the Senate, where it must be assigned to committee for review.

If approved in committee, the bill would move to the Senate floor for debate and a vote.

If the Senate passes the House version without changes, the bill would go to Gov. Jeff Landry for signature or veto.

If the Senate amends the bill, the House would need to approve those changes. If the two chambers cannot agree, the legislation could move to a conference committee before final passage.

The bill sits at the center of a growing legal and political debate over how state public-records laws should apply now that public universities are directly distributing athletics revenue to college athletes.

While supporters argue the measure protects athletes and institutional competitiveness, critics point out that the legislation also shields how universities allocate money by sport, raising broader questions about transparency at public institutions.