It may seem this Governor is trying to separate church and state a bit more. However, Tuesday told a different story.
During public testimony in the House Appropriations Committee, Rob Tasman with Louisiana Council of Catholic Bishops objected to the Governor’s proposed cuts to parochial schools in House Bill 1.
Representative Jerome Richard (I-Thibodaux) questioned that, asking “what other funding does the state provide?” Tasman began listing, “we have the scholarship program, required services, nutrition salary supplements. There’s early childhood development, textbooks, textbook administration, and then there are scholarships for students with exceptionalities, as well as the Educational Excellence Trust funds.”
In total, says Tasman, it can reach "around seventy-nine million.”
“And so, out of that, how much has been cut?” asked Richard. “Roughly six million to scholarships; seven million, zeroing out of the nutrition salary supplements; and eight million to required services. So...fifteen, twenty-one [million]," responded Tasman.
Later in the afternoon, Representative Mike Johnson’s (R-Bossier City) Pastor Protection Act was debated on the House Floor, which "ensures that a religious leader cannot be forced by the government to conduct a wedding ceremony that violates his or her sincerely held religious beliefs.”
Representative Helena Moreno (D-New Orleans) suggested the bill doesn’t really solve any problems. “Already, if a priest didn’t want to marry a gay couple, he doesn’t have to.”
The bill, House Bill 597, passed and now heads to the Senate.
Asked about his intention with the cuts to parochial schools at a press conference Tuesday, the Governor responded that, "with respect to the voucher program, I think every year since it’s inception, it’s been over-appropriated."
As for the Pastor Protection Act, the Governor said, "I think it’s unnecessary, it doesn’t accomplish anything, but there’s nothing in it that really causes me concern."