Louisiana legislators send silent-prayer bill to governor
By The Associated Press
04.11.02
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BATON ROUGE, La. — The Louisiana Senate agreed yesterday to a bill designed to put a moment of silent prayer or meditation back into the start of each school day, sending the measure to Gov. Mike Foster for his signature — one of three religious-related House bills that sped through the Senate.
The other two bills — one allowing verbal prayer in Bossier Parish public schools and one creating a license plate bearing the words "In God We Trust" — were sent to the governor's desk after the House today unanimously approved the Senate's amendments.
The first measure, by state Rep. Tony Perkins, R-Baker, would require public school boards to allow an opportunity, at the start of each school day, for students and teachers to observe a brief time in silent prayer or meditation.
The courts struck down the state's prayer law after legislators amended it in 1999 to allow verbal, instead of just silent, prayer.
Perkins argued that the pre-1999 law had never been challenged. The American Civil Liberties Union opposed the bill, saying even silent prayer at the direction of school officials was unconstitutional.
A second prayer bill, likely to be challenged in court, would allow "voluntary, student-led, student-initiated" prayer at Bossier Parish public schools.
"What we want is simply to allow our students to have voluntary prayer before, during and after school," said state Sen. Max Malone, R-Shreveport.
The measure, by state Rep. Jane Smith, R-Bossier City, was sent to the governor after the House today approved an amendment that requires Bossier Parish to defend the law against any court challenges. Smith didn't object to the amendment.
Both prayer bills received unanimous approval by the Senate.
The "In God We Trust" license plate, which also received final approval in the House today, got one objection from state Sen. Lynn Dean, R-Braithwaite, who said the plate would violate the constitutional requirement of separation of church and state because Louisiana would be printing the plates.
The measure would cause a lawsuit that would cost the state, Dean said.
"This is illegal. I know where our hearts are, but let's keep it within the law," he said.
The Senate disagreed, voting 33-1 for the bill by state Rep. Almond Crowe, R-Pearl River. It requires at least 1,000 people to apply for the license plate before it can be printed.
Like other so-called prestige plates, a person would have to pay an extra $25 and a $3.50 handling fee along with the regular license fee to have the plate. The money would be divided equally between the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts councils in Louisiana and the Association for Retarded Citizens of Louisiana.
Update
Louisiana governor vetoes verbal-prayer bill
Meanwhile, 'In God We Trust' license plate, moment-of-silence measures are signed into law.
05.02.02
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