SB 518: PUBLIC LANDS: Allows Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College to buy and sell certain real estate. (8/1/26) - Louisiana

Senate Floor Bureau Note, #2834, Foil, Adopted → SB518 Act · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill updates the laws governing how Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College (LSU) can buy and sell property. It grants the LSU Board of Supervisors specific authority to handle real estate transactions within East Baton Rouge Parish, provided the property is near other university lands and is bought or sold at fair market value. A critical addition requires that when the university sells property, it must reserve mineral rights for the state, ensuring public resources are not lost during the transaction.

Scope change

The bill's scope is expanded to include specific procedural rules for the LSU Board of Supervisors regarding property transactions, restricting these powers to properties located entirely within East Baton Rouge Parish and adjacent to existing university holdings.

REQUIREMENT

New conditions require that any property sold by the university must be located within East Baton Rouge Parish and no more than one mile from other university-owned land.

The university is now required to reserve mineral rights for the state whenever it sells property, in accordance with the state constitution.

TIMELINE

The specific authority granted to the LSU Board of Supervisors to purchase and sell property will expire on August 1, 2028.

ENFORCEMENT

The university must notify the state land office in writing within five business days of any property sale, transfer, or exchange.

SCOPE

The bill clarifies that the Board of Supervisors has explicit authority to manage property transactions, whereas previous laws may have been less specific about this power.

SB518 Original → Senate Floor Bureau Note, #2834, Foil, Adopted · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill authorizes the LSU Board of Supervisors to buy and sell real estate within East Baton Rouge Parish, provided the land stays within 1.5 miles of existing university property and is sold at fair market value. A new requirement was added to ensure that any property acquired by the university retains mineral rights for the state, preventing the university from owning the subsurface resources.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on LSU-Baton Rouge property transactions, but it now includes a specific restriction on mineral rights that was not present in the original version.

REQUIREMENT

Added a mandatory condition that mineral rights must be reserved for the state when the university acquires property, ensuring the state retains ownership of subsurface resources.

SB518 Enrolled → SB518 Original · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill updates the text of Senate Bill 518 to reflect its original version, removing the enrolled version's header and adding the original document's metadata, coding instructions, and digest. The actual legislative text regarding property transfer rules remains unchanged. This revision is necessary to correct the document version for the official record.

Scope change

No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; the text of the law is identical between the two versions.

TECHNICAL

Removed the 'ENROLLED' header and session number from the top of the document.

Added the 'ORIGINAL' header, bill number (SLS 26RS-713), and page headers/footers found in the original version.

Inserted the legislative digest and explanatory notes at the end of the document.

Adjusted line numbers and spacing to match the original bill format rather than the enrolled version.

SB518 Reengrossed → SB518 Enrolled · 4 edits · May 27, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was finalized as an enrolled version, removing the original summary and digest which explained the law's purpose. The core legal text remains substantively the same, authorizing LSU to buy and sell specific property within a one-mile radius of its campus under strict conditions.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; it continues to apply only to the Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College regarding specific real estate transactions.

TECHNICAL

Removed the header identifying the document as 'REENGROSSED' and replaced it with 'ENROLLED', indicating the bill has passed both legislative chambers and is ready for the Governor's signature.

Deleted the 'Digest' section and 'Summary of Amendments' which provided a plain-language explanation of the law and its changes; these are informational aids not part of the actual law.

Removed the footer notes and page counts associated with the 'REENGROSSED' version, replacing them with the standard 'ENROLLED' signature block for the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, and Governor.

Adjusted line numbers and page breaks to reflect the final enrolled version, which now has fewer pages than the reengrossed draft.

SB518 Engrossed → SB518 Reengrossed · 3 edits · May 26, 2026

MINOR

The bill was reengrossed to correct page numbering errors and update the header from 'Engrossed' to 'Reengrossed'. The substantive policy content, including the rules for property transactions and the sunset date, remains unchanged from the previous version.

TECHNICAL

Page numbering was updated from 'Page 1 of 3' and 'Page 2 of 3' to 'Page 1 of 4' and 'Page 2 of 4' to reflect the inclusion of additional digest text.

The document header was changed from 'ENGROSSED' to 'REENGROSSED' to accurately reflect the current version of the bill.

A line containing the sunset date ('August 1, 2028') was inserted at the beginning of the digest section, likely to fix a layout issue where the text was previously missing or misplaced.

PUBLIC LANDS: Allows Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College to buy and sell certain real estate. (8/1/26)

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