Louisiana governor vetoes verbal-prayer bill

By The Associated Press,
freedomforum.org staff

05.02.02

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BATON ROUGE, La. — Gov. Mike Foster officially vetoed a bill this week that would have put verbal prayer back in Bossier Parish public schools.

The governor announced last week that he planned to reject the measure from the special session because the legislator who sponsored it faced complaints from the local school board and asked Foster to veto it.

Parish school board members told state Rep. Jane Smith, R-Bossier City, that they didn't want to pay the legal costs of defending the measure in court, a crucial requirement in the bill. Smith agreed to the requirement during legislative debate.

Smith's bill would have allowed "voluntary, student-led, student-initiated" prayer at Bossier Parish public schools. The courts struck down the state's prayer law after legislators amended it in 1999 to allow verbal prayer.

Meanwhile, Foster signed two other religious-related bills into law on April 18. One law will 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 other allows the creation of a state vanity-license plate bearing the words "In God We Trust."

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Louisiana legislators send silent-prayer bill to governor
Senate approves two other religious-related bills: one allowing verbal prayer in Bossier Parish public schools, one creating 'In God We Trust' license plate.  04.11.02

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