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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.
Regular Session, 2012
SENATE BILL NO. 679
BY SENATOR CROWE
LEGIS POWERS/FUNCTIONS. Establishes the first Thursday in May of each year as
Louisiana's "State Day of Prayer." (gov sig)
AN ACT1
To enact R.S. 1:58.5, relative to special days; to recognize and designate the first Thursday2
in May as Louisiana's "State Day of Prayer"; to provide for legislative intent; and to3
provide for related matters.4
Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:5
Section 1. R.S. 1:58.5 is hereby enacted to read as follows: 6
ยง58.5. Louisiana's "State Day of Prayer"7
A. The legislature finds all of the following:8
(1) Congress made the National Day of Prayer an official, annual day of9
observance every first Thursday of May beginning in 1952.10
(2) Prior to its official observance in 1952 and prior to the nation's11
founding, according to the original manuscript of the Writings of George12
Washington, the Continental Congress issued a proclamation recommending as13
follows: "The Honorable Congress having recommended to the United States14
to set apart Thursday the 6th of May next to be observed as a day of fasting,15
humiliation and prayer, to acknowledge the gracious interpositions of16
Providence; to deprecate [to pray or intreat that a present evil may be removed]17 SB NO. 679
SLS 12RS-1728 ORIGINAL
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.
deserved punishment for our Sins and Ingratitiude, to unitedly implore the1
Protection of Heaven; Success to our Arms and the Arms of our Ally: The2
Commander in Chief enjoins a religious observance of said day and directs the3
Chaplains to prepare discourses proper for the occasion, strictly forbidding all4
recreations and unnecessary labor".5
(3) Other proclamations of national days of prayer prior to 1952 are as6
follows:7
(a) During the war with France, President John Adams declared May8
9, 1798, as "a day of solemn humility, fasting, and prayer", during which9
citizens of all faiths were asked to pray "that our country may be protected10
from all the dangers which threaten it".11
(b) On March 30, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a12
proclamation expressing the idea "that the awful calamity of civil war, which13
now desolates the land, may be but a punishment, inflicted upon us, for our14
presumptuous sins", and designated the day of April 30, 1863, as a day of15
"national humiliation, fasting and prayer" in the hope that God would respond16
by restoring "our now divided and suffering Country, to its former happy17
condition of unity and peace". He went on to say, "...it is the duty of nations as18
well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to19
confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope20
that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the21
sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that22
those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord".23
(4) In his 1983 declaration, Ronald Reagan said, "From General24
Washington's struggle at Valley Forge to the present, this Nation has fervently25
sought and received divine guidance as it pursued the course of history. This26
occasion provides our Nation with an opportunity to further recognize the27
source of our blessings, and to seek His help for the challenges we face today28
and in the future".29 SB NO. 679
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.
B. The first Thursday in May of each year is hereby designated as1
Louisiana's "State Day of Prayer" throughout the state of Louisiana.2
Section 2. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not3
signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature4
by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If5
vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become6
effective on the day following such approval.7
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Carla S. Roberts.
DIGEST
Proposed law designates the first Thursday in May as Louisiana's "State Day of Prayer"
throughout the state of Louisiana.
Proposed law declares legislative intent as follows:
1. That Congress made the National Day of Prayer an official annual day of observance
in 1952.
2. That prior to its official observance in 1952 and prior to the nation's founding,
according to the original manuscript of the Writings of George Washington, the
Continental Congress issued a proclamation recommending as follows: "The
Honorable Congress having recommended it to the United States to set apart
Thursday the 6th of May next to be observed as a day of fasting, humiliation and
prayer, to acknowledge the gracious interpositions of Providence; to deprecate [to
pray or intreat that a present evil may be removed] deserved punishment for our Sins
and Ingratitiude, to unitedly implore the Protection of Heaven; Success to our Arms
and the Arms of our Ally: The Commander in Chief enjoins a religious observance
of said day and directs the Chaplains to prepare discourses proper for the occasion;
strictly forbidding all recreations and unnecessary labor".
3. Other proclamations of national days of prayer prior to 1952, are as follows:
(a)During the war with France, President John Adams declared May 9, 1798, as
"a day of solemn humility, fasting, and prayer", during which citizens of all
faiths were asked to pray "that our country may be protected from all the
dangers which threaten it".
(b)On March 30, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation
expressing the idea "that the awful calamity of civil war, which now
desolates the land, may be but a punishment, inflicted upon us, for our
presumptuous sins", and designated the day of April 30, 1863, as a day of
"national humiliation, fasting and prayer" in the hope that God would
respond by restoring "our now divided and suffering Country, to its former
happy condition of unity and peace". He went on to say, "... it is the duty of
nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling
power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet
with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; SB NO. 679
SLS 12RS-1728 ORIGINAL
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.
and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and
proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the
Lord".
(c)In his 1983 declaration, Ronald Reagan said, "From General Washington's
struggle at Valley Forge to the present, this Nation has fervently sought and
received divine guidance as it pursued the course of history. This occasion
provides our Nation with an opportunity to further recognize the source of
our blessings, and to seek His help for the challenges we face today and in
the future".
Effective upon signature of the governor or lapse of time for gubernatorial action.
(Adds R.S. 1:58.5)