Louisiana Family Forum Statement on HB813

LFF was founded on the cornerstone of the sanctity of human life:

• We affirm the personhood of the unborn child as created in the image of God.

• We affirm that life begins at conception and should be protected through the entire pregnancy.

• We affirm that life, both born and unborn, is a human right entitled to legal protections.

• We affirm that Roe v Wade was a tragic mistake and should be overruled.

We have supported carefully planned, drafted, and legally defendable pro-life legislation in Louisiana for several decades. Our chief concern being the protection of human life, both the mom’s and the child’s.

LFF also has labored with the pro-life community to provide a network of pregnancy centers and adoption agencies to provide compassionate care to women. From the Choose Life License plate to the Alternatives to Abortion program, Louisiana has demonstrated that we care for both unborn children and their mothers, as evidenced by the resources directed toward those efforts.

We support, in principle, the affirmation of the personhood of the unborn child in HB 813. However, structural issues within the bill ensure that it will immediately be challenged and then enjoined. 

Some of those issues are as follows:

1. The enforcement provisions of the bill are overly broad and legally vague. It gives enforcement authority to the state, which is the duty of the Attorney General. This requires a constitutional amendment, not a statute.

2. The bill violates the separation of powers enshrined in both the Louisiana Constitution and the U.S. Constitution. The legislature would instruct judges in how they must rule in a case interpreting a statute. The legislature does not possess ‘jurisdiction’ to prevent a state court judge from enjoining, staying, overruling, or voiding any provision of the statute, or threatening impeachment for simply fulfilling judicial responsibilities.

3. It violates the supremacy of U.S. statutes and U.S. federal court decisions under the U.S. Constitution. We believe in the rule of law, the Louisiana Constitution, and the Constitution of the United States, both of which legislators took an oath to uphold. HB 813 directs Louisiana to defy rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court. While we wholeheartedly disagree with the ruling in Roe, HB 813 is not a workable solution.

Louisiana law protects babies from abortion when Roe v. Wade is overturned through our 2006 Human Life Protection Act (RS 40.1061), commonly referred to as the “Trigger Law.” Current Louisiana law would hold accountable with criminal and civil penalties those individuals performing the abortion or selling or providing the chemical abortion drugs, not the woman having the abortion. The tragedy of abortion isn’t limited to the unborn child who loses her life. The mother who aborts her child also suffers devastating physical and psychological damage following an abortion.

We live in an unprecedented moment where hope abounds that the Roe v. Wade decision will be overruled by next month with a final U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Dobbs case. Simply stated, the filing and passage of this bill would be untimely, unnecessary, and unhelpful in a post-Roe Louisiana.

Roe v. Wade is a cancer that has been eating away at our nation since 1973 and has resulted in the death of over 60 million babies. That cancer needs to be excised and the right to life of the unborn restored.

We have great respect for proponents of this bill and we heartily support the concept of making Louisiana abortion-free. We believe that with patience and prayer, that will happen very soon with the existing pro-life framework of laws in our state. In our effort to do the right thing concerning a respectful life ethic, we must also seek the right manner and the right time.

HB 813 in its current form is simply not the right manner nor is it the right time.

In His Service,
Gene Mills
President
Louisiana Family Forum

LOGA Responds to Biden Administration's Cancellation of GOM Lease Sales

BATON ROUGE, LA (May 12, 2022) - The Biden Administration has announced the cancellation of the last remaining lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico from the most recent Five-Year offshore drilling plan.

In response, Louisiana Oil & Gas Association President Mike Moncla released the following statement:

“The cancelling of the last remaining lease sales from the most recent renewal of the Five-Year Plan is not really news, since the Biden Administration has already said that we will not move forward with any new lease sales, but I’m glad this has made the news cycle. The cancelling of the sale of leases 259 and 261 in the Gulf of Mexico puts a beautiful exclamation point on the absolute devastation that this administration has caused to our industry, and to our nation.

We are suffering from a war overseas. Prices at the pump are at an all-time high. The only way to bring those prices down is to increase domestic energy production. It is nothing short of hypocritical that the Biden administration bans Russian energy imports, while at the same time doing everything it can to stop any and all future production in the Gulf of Mexico.

We desperately need a renewal of the Five-Year offshore leasing plan. Sadly, as long as Joe Biden is in office, his pattern of behavior indicates devastating effects on Gulf of Mexico production for years to come."

Sen Kennedy Lists The Stupid Things Government Spends Money On

A bill to give parents legal recourse if their child is denied school admittance based on their vaccination status passes in House Education

Photo source: Ballotpedia

A bill to allow parents to bring a lawsuit against the entity that prevents a student’s entry to a school on the basis of their immunization status advances from House Education. Houma Representative Beryl Amedee’s bill will give parents legal recourse if their child is denied admittance because they opted out of any vaccination.

“A state agency is supposed to enforce this, and the legal remedy is when they don’t a parent can sue. This is all the bill does is add that already existing option into the statutes,” said Amedee.

Read more: A bill to give parents legal recourse if their child is denied school admittance based on their vaccination status passes in House Education

Attorney General Jeff Landry: Trouble on the tracks is adding to America’s woes

Photo source: File photo

The worst kept secret in American households right now is that times are tough. The cost of gas, groceries and other necessitates are rising faster than a flock of spooked ducks. Inflation, supply chain issues and government failures have forced too many families to choose between fuel or food.

Exacerbating the problem is freight railroads failing to deliver. What once were affordable and dependable links in the critical supply chains, freight railroads are now expensive and unreliable clogs derailing any hope of a break for family budgets. Their service to manufacturers, farmers, and refineries with consumers across America has made building materials, food and fuel more costly — and in some cases — even scarce.

Read more: Attorney General Jeff Landry: Trouble on the tracks is adding to America’s woes

LOUISIANA FAMILY FORUM: A Post-Roe Louisiana?

Late yesterday evening, Politico broke the news that they had obtained a draft opinion of the Dobbs case which indicated that the U.S. Supreme Court had voted to overturn Roe v. Wade. The story linked to a draft written by Justice Samuel Alito. While the draft does in fact appear to be in the style of Alito and the headline reads justices voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, please note that this is not final nor a final vote. To be certain, it is curious at every level!

The Supreme Court of the United States has never experienced a political maneuver of this sort in its history. It is unprecedented for a draft opinion to be leaked to the public. I listened to news reports with shock that a draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion had been leaked to the press - then fielded a dozen or more calls and texts seeking assurances of its validity. This political stunt is misguided on every level. This morning I am confident Chief John Roberts will gather the court and demand answer as to which staffer is responsible; the leaker will be identified and fired. The desperation of those who favor legalized abortion is apparent. My concern is that this stunt may be an effort to change sentiment before the final and official report is released.

For background, here is how the SCOTUS methodically operates. The Court's hearing on Dobbs was Tuesday, December 1. (Myself and allies from around the country were there, praying for a favorable hearing.) Next the justices met in conference the following Friday to take a preliminary vote on the case. (With the Solicitor General and AG of Mississippi and 350 of America's top legal brass, we knelt and prayed...and cried out to God to end America's holocaust!) Depending on that vote, the longest servicing justice in the majority would have assigned a justice to write the draft opinion. That would be Justice Clarence Thomas as it appears Chief Justice Roberts might be in the minority.

If the Politico story is accurate, Justice Alito was assigned to draft the opinion. The Alito leaked draft is dated February 10. Since that date, the other justices would have made comments with possible edits to the draft opinion. 

Because it is a leaked, first draft opinion, I would caution against premature celebration of what would, no doubt, be a huge victory. If the opinion holds, there will be reason and time to celebrate, but we must take a wait and see approach to this unprecedented development.

The Mississippi’s Attorney General, who argued the Dobbs case, said in a released statement: “We will let the Supreme Court speak for itself and wait for the Court’s official opinion.”

I want to see the actual opinion released by the court before I celebrate. For now, I and others will read and evaluate the 96 page draft opinion and speculate. And pray.

If the court does overturn Roe, and we trust it will, the pro-life movement in Louisiana has to be ready to serve women facing unplanned pregnancy and their babies. We must be ready for this election season to stand together for babies and their mothers. We must be ready for any other court challenge, mischief and perhaps mayhem from the pro-abortion industry and their radical allies.

See life after Roe here.

To God be the Glory...

Gene Mills
President, Louisiana Family Forum

Watch Biden Laughing About Rising Prices on Americans

He’s so clueless, he doesn’t even realize how this is hurting this average American.

Get ready for a red wave in November……………………..

“Since you’ve come into office, things are really looking up. Gas is up, rent is up, food is up! Everything!”

BIDEN: *laughs* pic.twitter.com/Chtdwotnrs

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 1, 2022

How Biden’s New Energy Restrictions Defeat His Goals For Helping Ukraine

The Biden administration has reinstated restrictive policies under the guise of environmental protections that impact the construction of major infrastructure projects in the United States, including pipelines and highways. The timing could not be worse.

Federal government regulatory intervention is on the rise. The new rule will require federal agencies to examine the climate impact of infrastructure projects under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a 1970 law that requires the government to assess the environmental outcomes.

Read more: How Biden’s New Energy Restrictions Defeat His Goals For Helping Ukraine

LANDRY: Courts Have Blocked, For Now, Joe Biden Changes to Title 42

Cedric Richmond, Biden senior adviser, to leave White House for DNC

Richmond previously served in the House of Representatives as a member from the 2nd District of Louisiana.

Richmond's departure comes one day after reports that he criticized Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. and her fellow "squad" members as "f---ing idiots" after the 2020 election.

New York Times reporters Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin reported Richmond's comments in their new book on the 2020 election, which is set to release next Tuesday. Excerpts obtained by Fox Digital on Monday say that Richmond was among the foremost critics in Biden's orbit of the Democratic Party's progressive wing.

Read more: Cedric Richmond, Biden senior adviser, to leave White House for DNC

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry announces bipartisan call for GoFundMe transparency

“GoFundMe's actions against the Freedom Convoy earlier this year brought to light an extreme lack of transparency in their policies,” Landry stated in a news release. “Big Tech platforms such as these must be held accountable and not be allowed to hide behind arbitrary standards that allow them to pick and choose ‘worthy’ causes."

According to their website, GoFundMe has served more than 50 million donors and helped organizers raise more than $5 billion since it launched in 2010. 

Read more: Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry announces bipartisan call for GoFundMe transparency

Complete transition to renewable energy could take 50-100 years, CEOs say

A total transition away from fossil fuels would take between 50 and 100 years, two top oil executives said.

Oil company CEOs Charlie Goodson with Petroquest and Mark Miller with Merlin Oil & Gas spoke with Jan Swift of the Discover Lafayette podcast recently and discussed the state of the industry what its future looks like as more investments are being made into renewable energy.

Read more: Complete transition to renewable energy could take 50-100 years, CEOs say

LOUISIANA CITIZENS FOR JOB CREATORS: Jeff Landry Fights For Border Security!

Attorney General Jeff Landry has always been an advocate for the Strong Border that he and President Trump worked so hard to build. He knows that if we don't have a strong border, we don't have a strong country!

That's why he's been fighting so hard against Joe Biden whenever he attempts to expand his Open Borders Policy!

Late last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that on May 23 the Biden administration would end Title 42 — a broad public health authority that allows federal immigration officials to quickly return border crossers and illegal aliens to their native countries.

With this news, Jeff Landry sprang into action and SUED BIDEN!

He said "Presidential politics are killing public safety - Joe Biden needs to stop trying to be woke and start protecting the homeland."

It doesn't take a genius to understand that Title 42 will create a surge at the Southern Border. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, (DHS), estimates that getting rid of Title 42 could result in as many as 18,000 migrants per day showing up at the southern border – which could mean 540,000 migrants in a single month.

Landry is leading a team of State Attorney's General in their efforts to reverse this move from Biden and protect our border. This team of Conservatives is working to reverse this action by Biden and give our Law Enforcement the power to quickly turn back illegals!

We are proud that Jeff Landry is standing up against illegal immigration & fighting back against Biden's radical policies!

Thanks to AG Landry for defending the border!

Biden vs. America: Meltdown at the White House

Statement from Meridian Baldacci, spokesperson for Family Policy Alliance:

“The White House is having a complete meltdown about this week’s array of new pro-family laws. According to the Administration, it is ‘disturbing and dangerous’ to keep teachers from sexualizing kindergarten classrooms, it is ‘extreme’ to give women a level playing field in sports, and it is ‘wrong’ to protect children from irreversible and mutilating surgeries such as double mastectomies. In a nutshell, the Administration is distressed because states are protecting women and children.

“It’s not everyday Americans who are extreme – it’s the White House. Polls show that Americans support fair sports for women and commonsense child safety protections for children. And even Democratic primary voters support the new Florida Parental Rights in Education law.

“Instead of listening to Americans’ voices and supporting commonsense measures, the Biden Administration is doubling down with an authoritarian support for extreme ideology. It’s Biden versus America. And if Americans keep pushing back, we know our side will win.”

Background

Within the last week, three state governors signed four important laws aimed at protecting women and children: two laws to protect female athletes (Oklahoma, Arizona), one law protecting minors from so-called “sex-change” surgeries (Arizona), and a law protecting young children from sexualized instruction at school (Florida). And, the Utah legislature voted to make their own women’s sports legislation into law, overriding the Governor’s veto to do so.

The Biden Administration’s response? Complete meltdown. This week:

• President Biden called the “onslaught” of laws “simply wrong” (echoing his statements in the State of the Union address)

• Press Secretary Jen Psaki tweeted about the laws, calling them “extreme and harmful”

• Education Secretary Cardona responded to the Florida law by encouraging students to file discrimination complaints with the Department of Education, and calling the law part of a “disturbing and dangerous trend”

• The Department of Justice sent a memo to state attorneys general “reminding them” of “provisions that protect transgender youth against discrimination, including when those youth seek gender-affirming care”

• The Biden Administration referenced a Department of Health and Human Services document which refers to transgender interventions as “crucial” for youth who identify as transgender

• Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced an “X” sex marker on U.S. passport applications

• The Department of Health and Human Services raised a pride flag outside its headquarters

Several of these actions were announced today, “International Transgender Day of Visibility.”

###

Read more: Biden vs. America: Meltdown at the White House

History in the Making— Republican Legislators Override Governor Edwards' Veto of Congressional Maps

Yesterday, in a historic special session, the Louisiana legislature overrode Governor John Bel Edwards’ veto of its congressional redistricting plan. It thereby reinstated a good plan similar to the one the state had been using since 2011. Although the revived  plan must still pass muster in the courts (where it will likely be upheld), the legislature has successfully completed its redistricting work and come up with as fair and common sense a plan as the Voting Rights Act would allow.

This is a great victory by any measure, and our legislators are to be commended for their work. However, this victory may be even greater than we suppose. Our legislature, which was elected by Louisiana’s largely conservative electorate, has finally come into its own and done the people’s will. After a six-year nightmare under John Bel Edwards’ administration, during which the cost of governing Louisiana has relentlessly increased even as our population has declined and our infrastructure has crumbled, there is at last reason for hope.

To sum up what has happened, our legislature has asserted its independence from a so-called “moderate” Democrat governor presiding over a totally inept administration dominated by woke progressives who detest the people they serve. Hoorah for the victory, and let us hope and pray that the tide has turned and we may expect ever greater wins from our legislators going forward.

And we are very much in need of those legislators who are guided by the fiscal prudence and common sense which a conservative political outlook provides. While the state’s coffers are now filled to overflowing with freshly printed federal COVID funds, this money will soon run out. One time funds carelessly expended on wasteful and ever-expanding programs which never go away will not be available in future years when our debt explodes, which it surely must. No doubt this future “fiscal cliff” will provide the excuse for some aspiring Democrat to call for a major tax increase which Louisiana cannot afford.

Now is the time to make the wise choices to channel future expenditures into roads and other infrastructure projects, sensible social programs with proven results, and debt repayments. Out-of-control departments and programs must be reined in without delay, and progressive experiments in social engineering ended without apology. Underperforming bureaucrats and administrators must be sent packing regardless of their political affiliation.

Only then will government spending once again become controllable, and only then will the public regain trust in its government. But an important milestone in achieving these goals was reached yesterday. Well done!

Louis Gurvich, Chairman
Republican Party of Louisiana

HIGGINS: Combating Biden's Anti-American Energy Policies

             Knowing of our shared concern regarding rising energy and fuel costs, I am providing an update on my efforts in the U.S. House of Representatives to restore American energy independence. 

               President Biden’s anti-American energy policies have greatly injured the oil and gas industry, killed American jobs, and caused energy prices to rise. President Biden's policies revoked the Keystone XL pipeline permits while lifting sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline. He enacted a drilling moratorium on federal lands and waters while calling on OPEC and Russia to boost their crude oil production. He enacted policies that rescinded Trump-era federal permitting improvements, increased regulatory burdens,  threatened to increase federal royalty rates, and slowed federal approval of new energy projects and infrastructure. This administration’s energy policies have jeopardized our energy security and raised costs for American families.          

               To combat President Biden's disastrous energy policies, I have cosponsored numerous pieces of legislation that would protect Louisiana energy jobs and help reestablish American energy independence and American energy dominance. This includes: 

• H.R. 522, the Conservation Funding Protection Act, which would require annual lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico region of the outer Continental Shelf to protect offshore drilling activity and related conservation efforts.

• H.R. 543, the Protecting our Wealth of Energy Resources (POWER) Act, which would prohibit the president or his secretaries of the Interior, Agriculture, and Energy departments from blocking energy or mineral leasing and permitting on federal lands and waters without congressional approval.

• H.R. 684, the Keystone XL Pipeline Construction and Jobs Preservation Act, which would authorize the Keystone XL project and clarify that a presidential permit is not required for the construction, connection, operation, or maintenance of the outlined pipeline and border facilities.

• H.R. 6947, the Freedom from Russian Energy Enterprise and Domestic Oil Maximization (FREEDOM) Act, which would ban imports of crude oil, petroleum products, and LNG from Russia, authorize the Keystone XL pipeline, and nullify President Biden's executive order that paused oil and gas leasing on public lands.

• H.R. 7115, the Small Scale LNG Access Act, which would expedite application and approval processes for exports of natural gas.

• H.Res. 940, which calls on President Biden to restore U.S. energy security and take necessary actions to increase domestic energy production.

               Further, I am working closely with my colleagues on the House Energy Action Team (HEAT) to advance pro-American energy solutions. We recently delivered a HEAT letter to President Biden demanding he ends the ideological war on American energy producers and outlining several policy initiatives required to restore energy dominance and lower costs for American families.

               The oil and gas industry employs roughly 6.8 million Americans and impacts every part of modern society. Congress must reverse the Biden administration’s disastrous economic and energy policies. This is especially true for Louisiana, which is one of the top oil & gas producers in the nation and. Nearly 250,000 Louisianans are employed by this industry. My office will use every legally available action to combat President Biden's injurious policies and support legislation to protect American workers and their livelihoods. 

                It is an honor to serve you in Congress. Please be assured my office will continue working to promote America first policies. Additionally, should you or your family ever need help with a federal agency, please contact my Lafayette office at 337-703-6105 or my Lake Charles office at 337-656-2833.

Respectfully,

Clay Higgins
Member of Congress

Why the Gulf of Mexico is Vital for U.S. Energy Security

As geopolitical tensions rise and energy prices continue to climb higher, both in the U.S. and across Europe, the world is looking to America for energy leadership and stability. Instead, this administration continues to restrict access to America’s oil and natural gas resources, and legal and regulatory uncertainty is hindering increased energy production right here at home.

Just look at the current situation in Europe. It is an example of what can happen when nations depend on energy production from foreign sources that have agendas of their own.

However, unlike Europe, the U.S. has robust domestic production. Especially as concerned American families watch energy prices rise, they look to our nation’s leaders for help ensuring access to affordable, reliable energy. These same leaders have the power to support U.S. production and energy infrastructure – for example – which would send a clear message that America is open for energy investment.

So, how does this relate to energy operations in the Gulf of Mexico?

• The next 5-year offshore leasing program, which must be in place by July 1, 2022, is well behind schedule and will not be finalized by the time the current one expires. Without a new 5-year program, no federal offshore lease sales can be held.

• Energy operations in the Gulf of Mexico impacts new and existing jobs. In 2021, oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico supported more than 325,000 American jobs.

• Progress towards carbon goals. U.S. oil and natural gas produced in the Gulf of Mexico is among the lowest carbon intensive barrels produced in the world, according to a U.S. Department of the Interior analysis that shows emissions from international substitutions are more carbon intensive.

Simply put: America needs an energy policy reset in order to continue offshore leasing and production, support American jobs, and maintain our energy security.

Will you stand with us for American-made energy? Sign up below to continue to receive information and learn how you can get involved.

Take Action Today!

Read more: Why the Gulf of Mexico is Vital for U.S. Energy Security

Is President Biden to Blame for High Gas Prices in Louisiana?

The U.S. Energy Information Agency tracks prices and says back in 1994, we were paying $1.00 a gallon for gas. It went over $2 a gallon back in May of 2004. Prices climbed just above $3 a gallon in July of 2006. In July of 2008, prices went up about $4 a gallon for the first time in history. Prices then dropped to $1.84 in 2009.

Read More: Is President Biden to Blame for High Gas Prices in Louisiana??

AG Jeff Landry Praises Parents Who Filed Legal Challenge to Draconian Edicts

“Parents and guardians – not government bureaucrats – should make medical decisions for their children. And thanks to the legal challenge by families who had enough of the madness in the Crescent City, today is finally the end to the attacks on personal freedom in New Orleans. I again applaud the parents in the case and look forward to continue fighting with them to ensure the government at any level does not force medical procedures on citizens.”

Read more: New Orleans Mayor Finally Makes It Official: Mandates Over In Crescent City

HARRIS: Stuck in the Passage of Time

KAMALA HARRIS: "The significance of the passage of time, right? The significance of the passage of time. So when you think about it, there is great significance to the passage of time...there is such great significance to the passage of time." pic.twitter.com/jUsnyNiSpB

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 21, 2022