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| Date: From: Subject: | 6/14/2010 11:34:11 AM Home School Legal Defense Association Louisiana: Action Needed--Homeschool Graduate Bill to be Voted on by Full House |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Louisiana: Action Needed--Homeschool Graduate Bill to be Voted on by Full House Soon Dear HSLDA Members and Friends: This has been a busy year for homeschoolers and the Louisiana legislature. However, the end is in sight. The homeschool diploma bill, Senate Bill 798, is scheduled to be sent to the House floor on June 17. Last week, the bill passed the House Education Committee without objection. However, there were several representatives who were opposed to the bill but decided to leave the hearing instead of voting against it. It is possible that at least one of these representatives could attempt to add an amendment on the House floor. HSLDA Legal Assistant Eric Johnson, a Louisiana native, was present to testify before the House Education Committee in support of this bill, and you can see his report of the hearing below. Please contact you state representative now and urge him or her to support Senate Bill 798 as it is written. You can also contact the House leadership and urge them to support of the bill as well. Due to the hard work of Christian Home Educators Fellowship of Louisiana (CHEF of LA) and others, SB 798 has the support of both the Louisiana Department of Education (LDE) and the governor. However, you voice is still needed to see this bill pass the House as written. Please act now. ACTION SUGGESTED: Please call or email your state representative, as well the House leadership listed below, and give them this message in your own words: "Please support Senate Bill 798 as it passed the House Education Committee. This bill will enable home study graduates, who were enrolled in a state-approved program, to receive the same recognition for their diploma and transcripts as other state-approved nonpublic school students. Home study students who complete their program in compliance with state law just want to be treated fairly with other nonpublic school graduates, and this bill has the support of the LDE. Thank you for your support of Senate Bill 798." Calling your state representative is preferred, but if you can't call, please send an email. If you can do both, that would even be better. If you don't know your state representative you can use our Legislative Toolbox at http://www.hslda.org/toolbox to quickly locate your representative and their contact information. House Leadership Speaker of the House Rep. Jim Tucker (R) Phone: (225) 342-7263 Email: larep086@legis.state.la.us Speaker Pro Tempore Rep. Joel C. Robideaux (I) Phone: (225) 342-7263 Email: larep045@legis.state.la.us BACKGROUND As we informed you in previous e-lerts, the purpose of Senate Bill 798 is to help fix issues that homeschool graduates have encountered regarding their homeschool diplomas and transcripts. Recently, some homeschool graduates have faced opposition to their proof of completion of high school when they submitted copies of their homeschool diploma and transcripts. While most colleges are actively pursuing homeschool students, some cosmetology and other trade schools in Louisiana are giving homeschool graduates a hard time. Homeschool graduates seeking civil service positions, such as police officers, sheriff's deputies and firefighters, have also had some difficulties. Senate Bill 798 would simply put into Louisiana law that any diploma awarded by an approved home study program would have the all the rights and privileges as a diploma awarded by a state-approved nonpublic school. Eric Johnson, a legal assistant with HSLDA, was able to testify in favor of Senate Bill 798 and had this to report: "I had the honor and privilege of being invited down to Baton Rouge on Tuesday to testify before the House Education Committee on Senate Bill 798. The sponsor, Senator Walsworth, asked me to come down and share my personal story as a Louisiana high school graduate. I spoke about my experience with discrimination by a governmental agency because of my having been homeschooled. Sadly, this is not an uncommon story for homeschool graduates in Louisiana. SB 798 will be a huge step in changing that for future graduates." "After more than 90 minutes of discussion and debate, it was passed favorably for a vote on the House floor. That will be coming up sometime next week. Several attempts were made in the committee to have the bill amended, but thankfully they never got past a general discussion. The arguments were varied, but eventually common sense prevailed. It seemed that some members of the committee got bogged down on how the actual diplomas would look, versus the quality of the education behind them. However, our various supporters on the committee made some excellent points and were able to bring the discussion back on track." "We should certainly not rest on our victories and get lazy. Everyone in Louisiana should call their local representative and urge him or her to support SB 798 as it currently stands. There is a good chance that an amendment will be offered on the floor. We don't want any distractions or efforts to water down the bill to succeed. " "Special thanks should certainly go to Sen. Walsworth for his support and active involvement. Also thanks to Ms. Beryl Amedee of CHEF of LA for her initiative and involvement every step of the way, and for the support of the great folks at Louisiana Family Forum. " Thanks for your efforts in advancing homeschool freedom in Louisiana! Sincerely, Thomas J. (Tj) Schmidt HSLDA Staff Attorney ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> What's the shortest distance between two homeschoolers? HSLDA's elert service! When threats to homeschool freedoms arise, you want to be able to respond. We make it possible. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1101 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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Thank you for your cooperation. ====================================================================== | |
