By Office of U.S. Sen. John Kennedy WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy met Dec. 7 with President Donald Trump, top administration officials and a group of fellow senators at the White House to advocate for Louisiana oil refining jobs while discussing potential changes to the nation’s biofuels policy. “Louisiana is one of the nation’s largest energy refining states. As such, we have 17 refineries with thousands of workers who depend on maintaining a reasonable proportion of biofuels for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).   It’s imperative that we ensure our nation’s refineries have a seat at the table as we continue to debate a potential legislative overhaul of the RFS,” Kennedy said. “The current Renewable Fuel Standard is harming Louisiana refiners, families, fishers and workers,” Cassidy said.  “The status quo is unacceptable, so today’s meeting with President Trump was a positive step in the right direction.  I look forward to finding answers for this issue.” The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) sets the amount of ethanol and biodiesel that must be blended into transportation fuel. The mandated minimum amount of biofuel increases each year, decided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). … [Read more...]

By Message Staff Parts of Louisiana enjoyed a rare December treat Friday, Dec. 8 - a snow day. Several inches fell throughout the state, including a number of Louisiana Baptist churches. If you have any snow photos, please send them to brian@baptistmessage.com or post them to our Facebook page. … [Read more...]

By Office of U.S. Sen. John Kennedy WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) was among those voting Dec. 2 for H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. According to the non-partisan group the Tax Foundation, under the Senate tax bill, Louisiana will see an increase of 12,611 new jobs and the average family will gain $1,857 in after-tax income. “This bill is about three things: tax cuts, jobs, and more jobs,” said Sen. John Kennedy.  “It doesn’t take an expert to see what’s stalling the American economy: middle-class families need to see more of their hard-earned dollars in their bank accounts.  This bill gives them that while allowing American job creators the freedom and flexibility they need to increase wages and create jobs.” The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will: Double the standard deduction: For an individual, the standard deduction goes from $6,350 to $12,000. For a married couple, it goes from $12,700 to $24,000. Double the child tax credit: The child tax credit is doubled from the current $1,000 to $2,000, and more parents are allowed to claim the credit. Lower tax rates: Individual tax rates for middle-income Americans are reduced from 22.5 percent to 22 percent, 25 percent to 24 percent, and 32.5 percent … [Read more...]

By Ainsley Holyfield, Office of U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Benton) released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court’s decision to permit full enforcement of President Trump’s executive order on immigration: “Carefully vetting any person entering our country from areas known to be terrorist strongholds is not a controversy, it is common-sense," said Johnson, a member of First Baptist Church, Bossier City. "Defending the homeland is a critical responsibility of any sovereign nation. This order helps protect Americans from would-be bad actors intent on bringing harm to the United States. I applaud the Supreme Court’s decision to allow full enforcement of the president’s immigration order and improved vetting of prospective entrants from dangerous areas.” … [Read more...]

By Message Staff ALEXANDRIA – After years of praying and preparation, central Louisiana’s first pregnancy care center is officially open for business. Supporters gathered Monday, Dec. 4, for a ribbon cutting to mark the official opening of the Cenla Prenancy Center, located in the old Baptist Bookstore in Alexandria. The facility will be open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and will offer pregnancy decision coaching by trained advocates, free pregnancy tests, free ultrasounds, information about pregnancy options, maternity and physical resources and post-decision support including parenting education and abortion recovery groups. Director Claire Lemoine has marveled at the level of cooperation among various denominations and other members of the community to make this dream a reality. “Our center is based on different denominations,” Lemoine said. “So this is not just a group of Catholics, or just a group of Baptists. It’s a multi-denominational board of directors and workers and volunteers. It’s really shown the beauty of unity and how God calls us to be one. So we are all working together because of our 100 percent pro-life belief and are in search of that continued unity, despite our theological … [Read more...]

By Ainsley Holyfield, Office of U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H. Res. 630 to require each member, officer and employee of the House of Representatives to complete a program of training in workplace rights and responsibilities each session of each Congress to help combat sexual harassment and provide a clear path forward for victims. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Benton) voted in favor of this legislation. In addition, Johnson cosponsored two pieces of legislation, the Congressional Accountability and Hush Fund Elimination Act and the Settlement Tax Deductions are Over for Predators Act (STOP Act) to further combat sexual harassment and assaults. The first bill seeks to tackle the problem on the Hill, empower survivors and eliminate the congressional hush fund that is currently being used to settle such claims with taxpayer money. The STOP Act addresses systemic patterns of abuse that cover up sexual harassment by preventing businesses from deducting settlement payments related to sexual assault or sexual harassment, or associated legal fees, as a business expense on their federal taxes. “There is absolutely no place for sexual harassment in the workplace or anywhere," … [Read more...]