As Texas’ biennial legislative session approaches this spring, Rep. Lyle Larson has proposed a bill that would require an annual football game between Texas A&M and the University of Texas.
House Bill 412 was filed this Tuesday by the former graduate of A&M who currently represents District 122. If HB 412 were to become law, the two universities would be prevented from awarding athletic scholarships should they fail to face-off for a football game, according to the Texas Tribune.
Larson, Class of 1981, said in a tweet that the bill is “symbolic” because football scholarships are derived from each school’s athletic program.
“The idea behind the bill is to start a discussion, between the universities, so future graduating classes can experience the home and away game that we did,” Larson’s tweet read.
A similar bill was introduced in 2013 by Rep. Ryan Guillen, Class of 2000, but never made it past committee, according to the Texas Tribune.
Legislation regarding the longstanding rivalry has been met with significant criticism Aggies and Longhorns alike, with Twitter comments surfacing about the excessive nature of the bill.