Creationist bill, road kill
Your Curmudgeon was wrong. Two months ago we wrote More Creationist Madness in Louisiana, about a deranged resolution in the Louisiana Senate which provided:
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend former Louisiana state Senator Bill Keith on his support and endorsement of teaching creationism in the public schools.
At the end of our post we said:
The 2018 legislative session is scheduled to adjourn on 04 June, so there’s plenty of time for this thing to get passed. It’s difficult to imagine that it wouldn’t.
But now our friends at the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) are reporting this: Creationist resolution dies in Louisiana. Here’s one excerpt:
When the Louisiana state legislature adjourned sine die on May 18, 2018, Senate Resolution 33 (PDF), which would have commended a former state senator “on his support and endorsement of teaching creationism in public schools,” died.
That adjournment was earlier than we anticipated. We went to the legislature’s website, which says:
The 2018 Second Extraordinary Session will convene at 4:00 pm on Tuesday, May 22, 2018. Final Adjournment no later than Monday, June 4, 2018. The 2018 Regular Legislative Session convened on Monday, March 12, 2018. Final Adjournment on Friday, May 18, 2018.
Very strange. NCSE is correct in saying that the legislature adjourned on 18 May. However, they’ll be back tomorrow for another two weeks. Is it possible that the creationist resolution may yet get passed? Maybe it died with the regular session, and needs to get re-introduced. We have no idea what the rules are, but NCSE has good sources of information, so they’re probably right — it’s dead.
We don’t understand how the thing failed to pass. As we said in our earlier post:
Louisiana [is] a swirling vortex of voodoo and creationism. [I]n 2008 they were the first state (of only two) to enact — almost unanimously — a version of the Discovery Institute’s anti-science, anti-evolution, pro-creationism Academic Freedom Act (about which see the Curmudgeon’s Guide to “Academic Freedom” Laws). It became the infamous Louisiana Science Education Act (the LSEA). Since then, the legislature has rejected several attempts to repeal the LSEA.
This may be the first creationist measure in living memory that ever failed to pass in Louisiana. There will be lots of wailing at Discoveroid headquarters — and that’s a good thing.
Copyright © 2018. The Sensuous Curmudgeon. All rights reserved.
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The Sensuous Curmudgeon 
During extraordinary sessions, the legislature is only empowered to legislate on the topics enumerated by the governor. The proclamation for the secone extraordinary session of 2018 is here: https://legis.la.gov/LegisDocs/182es/call.htm
Thanks, Glenn. I assumed you guys had it right.
I think that the mention of creationism is interesting because it put te legislature on record as being interested in introducing a religious doctrine in the schools.
As I recall, Justice Scalia voted in the minority in the Supreme Court decision because there was no evidence that the legislature meant to favor a particular religious doctrine.
Therefore, if anyone on the Supreme Court wants to follow Scalia’s dissent, there is this evidence for meeting Scalia’s reasoning, i any case coming from Louisiana.
Scalia was über-religious himself – claiming the Devil was real. If I remember correctly Satan played in the NHL for a time.
You don’t understand! If it’s allowed to die in Committee, they can get the credit for reintroducing all over again in the next session
You’re right, Paul Braterman. I wasn’t thinking about the spiritual joy of an endless crusade. It’s a powerful incentive.