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We are facing a lot right now in our country, but especially in Louisiana.

In addition to chronic problems that seem to get worse every day - poverty, a housing shortage, climate change, violence - we are now facing the potential end to bodily autonomy for women, and what may be the beginning of even more attacks on Black and brown people, on the LGBTQ community, on civil rights, on voting rights. We saw this week, when a Louisiana legislative committee voted 7-2 to pass HB 813, that the true goals of many on the far right are to charge women with homicide, and outlaw birth control and IVF. Although I hope this monstrous bill will be defeated before it hits the governor's desk, we are preparing for the worst.

On Friday I announced that I am running for the open Louisiana Senate seat this November. I was planning to announce this later in the summer, but after seeing the five Louisiana female senators (we only have 5!) broadcasting that they are all united in being anti-choice, I realized how important it was to announce now to let women in Louisiana know that there are people on their side who are fighting for their freedoms - and for their very existence. In a state that is the absolute worst place to be a woman, with the most abortion restrictions in the country, it is critical to have at least *one* voice in our Senate who will stand up for women and the harm that this state has done to them for years and years.

Unfortunately due to Louisiana law, I cannot accept donations while I am in legislative session. You can click here to be notified when session ends on June 6, and you can sign up here to help the campaign once we get started (asap!). I appreciate all of your love and support.

Below are updates on the legislative session, along with the press release for my announcement. Every day is long and busy right now, and you better believe that I am making the most of every minute in Baton Rouge for everyone who needs it.

See you out knocking doors!

Mandie

After I presented the New Orleans gun safety bill, NOPD Deputy Chief Lawrence Dupree, District Attorney Jason Williams, and Councilmember Eugene Green testified in support of HB 209.

This past week, two of my bills cleared the house floor. HB 1052 sets up a hazard mitigation revolving loan fund and grant process in the state, using federal funds. This money will be used for badly needed hazard mitigation due to climate change and coastal erosion; examples are levees, drainage, and home elevation. You may remember when I recently visited some of the new land being built to help with coastal erosion. This fund would help smaller projects like that.

I also passed HB 516 off the House floor, which would require public schools to formalize an attendance/leave policy for pregnant and parenting students. Louisiana has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the nation, and we need to do all we can to help these young parents and keep them in school. For many of us who work in support of reproductive rights, supporting mothers is always a top priority.

One bill that didn't make it out of committee, but nonetheless made a huge impact, was HB 605. This bill would have banned harmful "conversion therapy" - a practice that many consider to be torture, which purports to change a minor's sexual orientation. This practice has been banned in 20 states, and the bottom line is that it hurts people and doesn't work. We held two full committee meetings on this bill, worked on amendments, and had a lot of support from the committee. At the last minute, the number two from the Attorney General's office came in to mislead the committee and torpedo the bill. To me, that showed that support for LGBTQ rights is gaining ground, and that our work on this bill rattled a lot of people. Special thanks to Britain Forsyth who worked hard for months to organize witness testimony and medical advocates.

A bill that I filed to allow New Orleans to pass our own gun laws did not make it out of committee. Given the rapid increase in gun violence in New Orleans recently, you'd think that the legislature would be willing to let us figure out how to help our city. As I have since before being elected, I'll continue to work with local advocates for Moms Demand Action and Everytown to address gun violence in New Orleans. Thanks to District Attorney Jason Williams and Councilman Eugene Green for testifying in support.

Upcoming: There are many bad bills on the agenda for this week and the last few weeks of session. Follow me on twitter or instagram (links below) for more regular updates. There may be a rally at the capitol this Wednesday to oppose HB 813, the awful bill that makes abortion homicide and birth control illegal.  

Keep your head up, and please plan to help out on the campaign this summer. Louisiana needs you!