SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — St. George, Utah-based Dixie State University is one step closer to changing its name after the Utah House approved a renaming plan Wednesday amid local backlash.

The bill that now moves to the state Senate would rename the school Utah Tech University. However, this contains a compromise provision that would keep the name Dixie on the main campus.

The Republican-controlled chamber voted in favor of the idea after multiple students and executives from the burgeoning tech sector said the Dixie name is often met with confusion and distaste outside the state. The term got new scrutiny following a national outcry against racial injustice after the death of George Floyd.

“This process is not about cancel culture. No one is trying to erase the great history of this beloved institution,” said Republican Rep. Kelly Miles (Ogden), who sponsored the name-change bill. “We as Utahns pride ourselves in our forward thinking … it just makes sense that our students in this great state will be better served by the name Utah Tech University.”

Dixie is a regional moniker referencing the South that dates back to when settlers with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tried to make the area a cotton-growing mecca in the 1800s.

Numerous landmarks throughout the area bear the Dixie name, including Dixie High School of St. George and the Dixie National Forest which entails various parts of southern Utah.

“It’s our soul in southern Utah,” GOP Rep. Walt Brooks (St. George) said.

Dixie State had faced scrutiny in the past over its name but resisted changing it. Earlier this year, the state Legislature tapped the brakes on growing momentum to change it. Now, after months of additional study and discussion, supporters say it’s time to make the switch.

The measure passed overwhelmingly in the House, but could face more opposition as it crosses to the state Senate in the coming days.