Haughton Representative Wants National Motto “In God We Trust” Displayed in Every Louisiana Classroom

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) - State Representative Dodie Horton of Haughton wants to expand upon an existing Louisiana law to make our national motto "In God We Trust" more prevalent across the state.

When Did "In God We Trust" Become The National Motto?

It was nearly 67 years ago on July 30, 1956, that "In God We Trust" was adopted as the U.S. National Motto, according to politico.com. The bill, which was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, then allowed Congress to mandate the phrase be printed on U.S. paper currency. The motto can be traced all the way back to 1864, though, when it first began showing up on U.S. coins during the Civil War.

By the way, President Eisenhower was a man of faith who also strongly believed that the phrase "under God" should be included in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Representative Horton's Grandchildren Help Inspire Bill

In 2019, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signed into law a bill that would require the national motto to be displayed in every state public school, according to wafb.com. But when state representative Horton asked her grandchildren if they had ever seen a sign bearing "In God We Trust," they told her they had not. So, Horton decided it was time to amend the current law.

I believe that to have it in every classroom, where every student can look and see that this is our motto. And the reason we have this as our United States motto is because we must trust in God.

 

Rep. Horton told our news partners at Louisiana Radio Network that House Bill 8 is "one of the most non-controversial bills that you’ll see my name attached to" and that the proposed legislation will also apply to postsecondary institutions. She says the bill won't require public funds to purchase the displays and that "donation drive(s) or...other groups (could) supply our public schools with these posters."

The 2023 Louisiana Legislative Session begins in April.