By TILISHA T. ALEXANDER

Staff Writer

For students who love to wear low-rise or baggy jeans, there is a law originating from Jefferson Parish that could make this illegal for the whole state.

According to an April 26 article in the Ruston Daily Leader, House Bill 1626 was introduced by state representative Derrick Shepherd of Marrero. He said he was tired of seeing boxer shorts and G-strings over the low-slung belt line of young adults.

Those caught could receive six months in jail and a fine of up to $500. Students were questioned about the bill. Some believed the bill had no case, while others thought it could have a valid point.

Chiara Montgomery, a senior biology major, said self-expression is a part of being an individual, and it is important in what makes a person who they are.

"I don't think this one man should be able to decide what we should wear because guys have been wearing baggy jeans forever, and I don't believe his disapproval should stop us from wearing [low-rise jeans]," Montgomery said.

The bill would be put under the state's obscenity law, which restricts sexual activity in public places and the sale of sexually explicit items.

Montgomery said the bill is one man's personal opinion and should not be pursued any further.

"This bill is one of insanity instead of obscenity," Montgomery said.

Cedric Towner, a junior electrical engineering major, said the bill is a waste of taxpayers' money.

"There have been laws before that have been of no substance, and this bill really has no case," Towner said. "There are bigger crimes out there, and all the state government can focus on is how we dress."

According to The Times-Picayune, Joe Cook, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Louisiana chapter, said he does not think the bill will pass because it of First Amendment rights recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Adia Williams, a senior mechanical engineering major, said it is hard to respond to the bill.

"If they want us to be adults, then they will have to treat us that way," Williams said. "Sometimes a person needs to turn their head if they see something they don't like or offends them."

Casey Daves, a senior graphic design major, said in some ways it is good.

"For those who deliberately wear or reveal their intimate apparels, I think it could help deplete the whole trend, because no one wants to see someone else's boxer shorts or G-strings in public," Daves said. "I think there are more important issues to be concerned about, like abortion and life, not what a person wears."

According to the April 28 article in The Times-Picayune, no hearing date has been set, and the bill will be heard by the Administration of Criminal Justice Committee.