January 10, 2023

Dear Friends, 

After 15 rounds of voting, Rep. Kevin McCarthy has been elected the new Speaker of the House. House conservatives won some important victories during vote negotiations, such as agreements to try to cut spending and a committee to look into the politicization and weaponization of the federal government (FBI, DOJ, etc.). 

Now to Louisiana: 

Gambling machines continue to invade our state, with Slidell officials warning about so-called historical horse racing machines entering some businesses. 

From NOLA:

The state Legislature adopted a bill in 2021 that allows up to 50 of the machines at off-track betting parlors, like the one just off Interstate 10 and Gause Boulevard in Slidell. Drawing from a database of previous horse races, the electronic devices allow players to see the odds for each horse, but names and the date and place of the races are not provided.

Slidell Mayor Greg Comer called them “glorified slot machine[s].” St. Tammany residents, who last year voted “no” to bringing a casino to the area, are rightfully frustrated by this “stealth move” to sneak gambling into parish. Gambling hurts families!

Education officials, including two Republicans, signed off on new woke educational standards likely to push critical race theory and other leftist agenda items.

The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved new “early childhood” development standards with the help of Republicans Holly Boffy and Ashley Ellis according to Christopher Alexander of the Louisiana Citizen Advocacy Group and Paige Lowry of the Louisiana Education Alliance.

They write:

The new early learning standards eliminate 75% of the former longstanding, detailed standards in existence in Louisiana. Because of their specificity in articulating specific curriculum, there was little room in the former standards for the injection of radical, anti-American concepts such as CRT and [gender identity]. The new standards leave intact the existing concept of ‘Social Emotional Development,’ but strip the concept of its traditional parameters contained in the former standards. 

Basically, the new standards leave room for continued indoctrination. Education should be about reading, writing, and arithmetic. Students need to learn about civics, America’s founding, and geography. They do not need to learn about critical race theory or gender ideology.

TAKE ACTION: It's not too late to let your voice be heard. The comment period on the BESE Early Learning Standards is closing at midnight today - January 10th. BESE can still make the right decision and vote to send the standards to the Dept. of Education for review and revision of the social emotional learning component of the standards.

Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin was seriously injured last week and was hospitalized after going into cardiac arrest during a game. Thankfully, Mr. Hamlin is improving - and his situation has drawn prayerful support. ESPN commentator Dan Orlovsky offered up public prayer for him on a recent show, which sparked a viral, positive response.

But even better, it may have sparked more support for public prayer in the NFL. Less than a week after the Bills’ player injury, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans both joined together to kneel in prayer. The prayer led to a crowd applause and just shows how much people want to see public prayer.

Friend,, inspired by this “blitz” of support for public prayer, let’s double down on our own efforts to share God’s Word!

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” [Philippians 4:6-7]

Let us go out and live our faith publicly!

In His Service,

Gene Mills
President, Louisiana Family Forum