(The Center Square) — As Louisiana lawmakers consider letting college students add their student IDs to LA Wallet, state Sen. Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton, says the idea could also help address a problem she says LSU has failed to get under control: underage drinking fueled by fake IDs in Tigerland.
The legislation is meant to give students a simple digital version of their campus ID on their phones, arguing that students may forget physical cards but rarely leave home without their devices.
“We do know that students, they’re not leaving campus without their phones,” Sen. Larry Selders, D-Baton Rouge, said during committee discussion, describing the measure as a straightforward way to give students easier access to identification they already use for everyday campus activities.
But Mizell also pointed to what she said is a long-running concern around fake IDs and underage drinking near LSU.
“That’s something that I’ve asked LSU to fix for a long time, and that’s the underage drinking problem,” Mizell said. “Here’s your opportunity to expand this to the bars in Tigerland that are taking fake IDs that nobody’s doing anything about.”
The bill, as amended, would no longer apply only to LSU, but all of Louisiana’s public postsecondary systems more broadly, with each management board allowed to make its own decisions about student IDs.
LSU officials told lawmakers the original fiscal note overstated the cost because it assumed the university would have to retrofit campus systems so the digital IDs could also open dorms, buildings and meal-plan access points. The fiscal note had projected roughly $10 million in one-time LSU costs, largely tied to hardware upgrades and software integration, plus continuing maintenance costs.
Mitch Rabelais, speaking for the LSU System, said that after discussions with Selders, LSU now understands that mandate is not in the bill and expects to work with the Legislative Fiscal Office on a revised estimate.
