Title: Louisiana Legislation Bills 2023 for Consideration
Original CoS Document (slug): louisiana-legislation-bills-2023-for-consideration
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Created: 2023-04-13 19:10:02
Updated: 2023-04-20 03:00:01
Published: 2023-04-13 01:00:00
Converted: 2025-04-14T20:32:21.294885468
Consideration of Louisiana 2023 Legislation for COS Action Louisiana Support
COS Louisiana is looking for bills to support or oppose during the 2023 session which meet the following criteria:
Relates to the core principles of federalism.
Involves a significant impact on the rights of citizens to govern themselves.
Directly involves civil liberties or fundamental rights.
Has a high probability of passing (or failing if we are opposing it).
So, the Legislative Team wants your input on these bills. We’re looking to support only 2 or 3 and we do have to collaborate with COS national to meet these criteria. Please complete the survey located here. You can find all these bills at the legislative website - legis.la.gov. Click on the “Bills” tab and click on the “2023 Regular Session” drop down for an easy-to-use search tab. If you have questions, ask away on Slack, in the channel “# legislative-session-2023”.
Education
HB 68 – by Rep. Hodges- Authorizes an Elective Course on the History and Literature of the Bible To Be Offered in Public High Schools - Comment: The course on the Bible is not required. To (1) provide students with knowledge of biblical content, characters, poetry, and narratives that are prerequisites to understanding contemporary society and culture, including literature, art, music, mores, oratory, and public policy, and (2) familiarize students with the influence of the Bible on law, history, government, literature, art, music and more.
SB 7 (HB 102) – By Sen. Cloud/Reps. Emerson, Amedee and Hodges - Requires Libraries to Adopt and Implement Policy Language to Limit the Access of Minors to Sexually Explicit Materials. Comment: Parents have the right to guide and direct the reading, listening, and viewing choices of their minor children, but many libraries lack adequate policies addressing the access of minors to sexually explicit materials. This one has teeth: the State Bond Commission cannot consider debt for a library which has not implemented this policy.
Election Integrity
HB 311 – by Miguez - Prohibits the Use of Monies from a Foreign Government or Nongovernmental Source to Fund Elections (Constitutional Amendment) (Zuckerbucks 2.0). Comment: COS La has supported early versions of this before. Includes an exemption: “unless the use is authorized by the SoS in accordance with policies established” by law.
Health
HB 372 – by Edmonston, others - To the Full Extent Permitted by Law, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization Shall Have No Jurisdiction in this State. Comment: Any “requirements, mandates, recommendations…or guidance provided by either…. shall not be used in this state… and shall have no force and effect”.
HB 399 – by Edmonston - Requires That Communication Issued About Immunization Requirements Include Exemption Information and Applies Exemptions Not Only To Students Seeking To Enter School But Also To Students Attending School. Comment: students are exempt from “immunization or proof of immunity requirement”, if the parent gives a “written dissent”.
Parental Rights
HB 466 – by Rep. Horton - School Prohibition of Discussion of Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity. Comment: No school employee shall cover the topics of sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom or in extra-curricular activities. Requires the use of biological sex pronouns unless parents provide written permission and employees not required to use preferred pronouns if doing so is contrary to religious or moral objections.
HB 463 by Rep. Firment - Prohibits Procedures to Alter the Sex of a Minor Child. Comment: No medical healthcare professional shall provide gender transition procedures to any minor and no mental or medical healthcare professional shall refer any minor to any medical doctor for gender transition procedures. There is no exemption for parental consent to allow these procedures. Specifically excludes services provided to “medically verifiable disorder of sex development, including a person with external biological sex characteristics that are irresolvably ambiguous, such as an individual born with forty-six XX chromosomes with virilization, forty-six XY chromosomes with undervirilization, or having both ovarian and testicular tissue.” Other states have passed similar bills.
HB 152 – by Rep. Amedee - The Freedom of a Parent in the Nurture, Education, Care, Custody, and Control of the Parent's Child Is a Fundamental Right and Shall Not Be Infringed (Constitutional Amendment) Comment: this is a proposed Constitutional Amendment, so it will require 2/3rds vote in each chamber. Any restriction on this parental freedom “shall be subject to strict scrutiny” by the courts, which means the government must have a “compelling state interest” to interfere with this right.