BATON ROUGE—The House Education Committee advanced a bill described as a measured effort to secure student safety options on college campuses while avoiding more controversial proposals involving firearms.

House Bill 195, introduced by Rep. Mike Bayham, R-Chalmette, would prohibit universities from banning chemical spray, such as pepper spray, allowing students to carry it as a form of self-defense.

LSU and other schools, like the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, already let students carry self-defense sprays on campus. Bayham described his bill as “a proactive measure” to ensure that colleges did not ban it.

Chemical spray would not be permitted under the bill, however, in areas where armed security was already present, including campus daycare spaces and medical centers.

Supporters say the bill would provide a practical way for students to protect themselves without introducing lethal weapons into academic environments.

The legislation follows an earlier proposal from Rep. Danny McCormick, R-Oil City, who had sought to allow individuals to carry guns on campus. That bill was later withdrawn.

Committee members forwarded Bayham’s bill on Tuesday to the full House without opposition.

“I certainly will like chemical spray better than allowing students to have guns on campus,” Rep. Barbara Freiberg, R-Baton Rouge, said.