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Friday, April 19, 2002

The new law reinstates protections that previously existed in the state but were altered in 1999 when Louisiana amended its law to include prayer spoken aloud. A federal judge later ruled the law unconstitutional. His ruling is under appeal.

Foster signed the bill without any comment, according to spokesman Steven Johnston.

Earlier in the week, Foster said he would probably sign the measure.

"The Supreme Court opens with a prayer, the Congress opens with a prayer ... we have 'In God we trust' on all our currency ... yet it is almost totally prohibited in the school system," Foster said. "It's frustrating."

Under the new law, school boards will allow a brief period of silent prayer at the beginning of each school day.

State Rep. Tony Perkins, the bill's author, said pressure to make it easier for Louisiana students to pray in school grew strong last year after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.

"The president was calling on the whole nation to come together and pray," Perkins said. But since the 1999 prayer law had been struck down, the state was "without any statutory guidance."

Joe Cook, executive director of American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, was critical of the bill earlier this week.

"Government ought not to be in the business of endorsing religion as prohibited by the Supreme Court," he said.

"Remember that slavery and such things as the denial of women's right to vote were legal for a long time. Some things ought not to be put up for a majority vote."

Foster has not acted yet on a related bill passed by the Legislature that would allow student-led and student-initiated prayer in schools within Bossier Parish.

Copyright 2002 by United Press International.

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