Louisiana Family Forum
Encyclopedia
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
. The organization supports Louisiana's covenant marriage
Covenant marriage
In some parts of the United States, a covenant marriage is a legally distinct kind of marriage, in which the marrying couple agree to obtain pre-marital counseling and accept more limited grounds for divorce...
law and opposes abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
and same-sex marriage. The group's stated mission is to "persuasively present biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
principles in the centers of influence on issues affecting the family through research, communication and networking."
According to its website the group "maintains a close working relationship with Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family is an American evangelical Christian tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 1977 by psychologist James Dobson, and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Focus on the Family is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations that rose to prominence in the 1980s...
and Family Research Council
Family Research Council
The Family Research Council is a conservative or right-wing Christian group and lobbying organization formed in the United States in 1981 by James Dobson. It was fully incorporated in 1983...
" and is part of a network of individual state Family Policy Councils.
History
Louisiana Family Forum was founded in Baton Rouge in 1998 by a group of citizens, including retired City Court Judge Darrell White, former State RepresentativeLouisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
Tony Perkins
Tony Perkins (politician)
Anthony Richard "Tony" Perkins is president of the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian think tank and public policy foundation based in Washington, D.C...
, and LSU law professor Katherine Spaht. The organization is currently headed by Executive Director Gene Mills, while Judge White and former State Senator
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
Dan Richey
Dan Richey
Daniel Wesley "Dan" Richey is a Baton Rouge-based political consultant for "pro-family" candidates and organizations, including Louisiana Family Forum. From 1997 to 2004, Richey served under appointment of Republican Governor Murphy J...
serve as consultants. Louisiana Family Forum is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
Tax exemption
Various tax systems grant a tax exemption to certain organizations, persons, income, property or other items taxable under the system. Tax exemption may also refer to a personal allowance or specific monetary exemption which may be claimed by an individual to reduce taxable income under some...
non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
.
The Family Forum honors a Louisiana state legislator each year for the member's advocacy of moral principles and family values.
Political advocacy
Louisiana Family Forum Action (LFF Action), is a 501(c)(4) tax-exemptTax exemption
Various tax systems grant a tax exemption to certain organizations, persons, income, property or other items taxable under the system. Tax exemption may also refer to a personal allowance or specific monetary exemption which may be claimed by an individual to reduce taxable income under some...
non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
advocacy group formed by LFF. Dan Richey, who holds the title of Grassroots Coordinator for LFF Action, joined the organization as a consultant in 2005. Prior to his work with LFF Action, Richey was a paid consultant in David Vitter's
David Vitter
David Vitter is the junior United States Senator from Louisiana and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he served in the United States House of Representatives, representing the suburban Louisiana's 1st congressional district. He served as a member of the Louisiana House of...
2004 U.S. Senate campaign
United States Senate elections, 2004
The United States Senate election, 2004 was an election for one-third of the seats in the United States Senate which coincided with the re-election of George W. Bush as president and the United States House election, as well as many state and local elections. Senators who were elected in 1998,...
. Records show that Vitter's campaign also employed Beryl Amedee, Louisiana Family Forum's current Education Resource Council chairwoman. Amedee became the Education Chair in 2007.
2007 Earmark
In September 2007, U.S. Senator David VitterDavid Vitter
David Vitter is the junior United States Senator from Louisiana and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he served in the United States House of Representatives, representing the suburban Louisiana's 1st congressional district. He served as a member of the Louisiana House of...
earmarked $100,000 in a health and education financing bill for fiscal year 2008; the earmark specifies payment to the Louisiana Family Forum "to develop a plan to promote better science education." This received national attention and was later cut from the bill after Vitter bowed to political pressure.
External links
- Official website
- "Louisiana for Marriage" website - a project of the Louisiana Family Forum