June 3, 2022

Dear Friends,

It’s a race to the finish! Today is the last day for bills to pass through both houses of the Legislature. Monday, June 6th is the final day for the legislative session and the next three days will be spent resolving differences between House and Senate versions of a variety of bills. Committee hearings are over and the focus is on the House and Senate floor.     

This Week at the Capitol, three of LFF's Top Bills advanced. Here are the highlights:

• HB 142 by Rep. Schlegel - Protecting children from harmful material on the internet.  PASSED THE SENATE 34-0
• SB 342 by Sen. K. Jackson strengthens our abortion statutes in anticipation of the overturning of Roe v. Wade.  PASSED THE HOUSE 72-25 AN AMENDMENT TO ADD RAPE AND INCEST EXCEPTIONS WAS DEFEATED 37-62
• SB 388 by Sen. Hewitt - Creates the felony of the illegal sale of chemical abortions by mail.  PASSED THE HOUSE 72-24

These bills will now have to go through concurrence (resolving differences on amendments). Sen. Beth Mizell, Sen. Sharon Hewitt, Rep Laurie Schlegel and Rep. Julie Emerson handled these bills masterfully. Louisiana is blessed to have strong, principled women in both the Senate and the House.

One important piece of unfinished business is HB 450 by Rep. Chuck Owen. This bill would retroactively open the adoption records without the consent of the birth mother and is a violation of confidentiality given by the state. We are petitioning the author to amend his bill to protect birth mothers while giving access to these records when there is mutual consent between the birth mom and the adoptee.

Please pray for Louisiana legislators as they grapple with weighty matters and Team LFF as we remain on high alert until Monday evening when the session concludes.

HB 33 by Rep. Devillier - Allows education expenses for students in K-12 who are not enrolled in a public school. MFP follows the child.  Amended into SB 203

HB 35 by Rep. Farnum - Requires annual canvass of registered voters to identify voters who have moved and need to update their addresses.  PASSED THE SENATE

HB 54  by Rep. Bagley - Prohibits discrimination on vaccination status.  PASSED SENATE JUDICIARY C

HB 137 by Rep. Marino -  Prevents Louisiana from becoming a “destination state” for medical marijuana.  FAILED ON SENATE FLOOR 19-14

HB 194 by Rep. Butler - Provides state funding for qualified K-12 expenses for students with exceptionalities.  PASSED SENATE FINANCE

HB 359 by Rep. Beaullieu - Prohibits federal election directives and guidance and spending of federal money for elections.  PASSED THE SENATE

HB 427 by Rep. Amedee - Prohibits the administration of vaccines to minors on school property unless a parent consents.  PASSED SENATE EDUCATION

❌HB 459 by Rep. Owen - End of life protections to provide care as requested by patient or patient's representative.  DEFERRED IN SENATE HEALTH AND WELFARE

HB 555 by Rep. Chuck Owen - Requires licensing boards to publish advisory information on their website for renewal annually.  PASSED THE SENATE

HB 568 by Rep. Edmonds - Prohibits false information to induce payments or benefits in connection with an adoption.  PASSED THE SENATE

❌HB 640 by Rep. Wright – Requires disclosure of vaccine-related pharmaceuticals and informed consent form in the state.  DEFERRED IN SENATE HEALTH AND WELFARE

❌HB 989 by Rep. Crews - Requires details when a minor undergoes an abortion and establishes requirements on court proceedings.  DEFERRED IN SENATE HEALTH

HR 116 by Rep. Edmonston – Expresses La. House of Representatives disagreement with the World Health Organization on violation of U.S. sovereignty.  PASSED THE HOUSE

SB 144  by Sen. R. Mills -  Hand delivery in returning absentee ballots must be made at official locations.  PASSED THE HOUSE

SB 203  by Sen. Hewitt - Educational Savings Accounts for students not reading at grade level by 3rd grade.  PASSED THE HOUSE

Following the barbaric attack in Uvalde, Texas, there have been calls from the left and right for increased restrictions on access to guns. The facts and data implicate a different root issue.

From FRC:

"When places adopt stricter gun control laws, there tends to be an increase in violent crime," said gun violence scholar John Lott. His research at the Crime Prevention Research Center found that "every place in the world that's banned, either all guns or all handguns has seen an increase in murder." Domestically, "over 94% of the successful mass public shootings that have occurred in the United States since 1950 have taken place in areas where citizens weren't allowed to ... have guns."

…

The laser-focus on access to arms overlooks the common elements that link school shooters. "Nearly every attacker experienced negative home life factors," noted the U.S. Secret Service's National Threat Assessment Center. (Emphasis in original.) "The negative home life factors experienced by the attackers included parental separation or divorce, drug use or criminal charges among family members, and domestic abuse." Furthermore, "half of the attackers had received one or more mental health services( including medication)  prior to their attack." Most also had a history of school disciplinary actions.

Further, research shows that one of the consistent factors across attackers in mass shootings is fatherlessness. We must rediscover the traditional family if we want the basic building blocks of civilization to sustain our country. Please join me in that effort and in prayer for the families in Uvalde, many of whom will bury their loved ones today.

Friends, thank you for standing with LFF and engaging this culture, contending for family, liberty, and life in Louisiana! We depend on your support and prayers, especially during the legislative session. Please pray that our efforts honor God and those things He treasures!

In His Service,

Gene Mills
President
Louisiana Family Forum

P.S. June has been declared "Pride Month" in America. Scripture speaks to that: