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Sylvia Delores Miller Horton, known as Dodie Horton (born December 6, 1956), is a Republican from Haughton, Louisiana, who is the state representative for District 9 in Bossier Parish in the northwestern corner of her state.

In January 2016, Horton succeeded Henry Burns of Bossier City, who left the House seat to seek the District 36 position in the Louisiana State Senate. Horton had been Burns' legislative assistant since he entered the House in 2008.

In the primary election held on October 24, 2015, Horton handily defeated a single opponent, fellow Republican Mike McHalffey (born March 1959) of Benton, 4,584 votes (63.8 percent) to 2,602 (36.2 percent), for the right to succeed Burns.

Career

On June 8, 2017, Democratic state Senator Karen Carter Peterson of New Orleans shouted an obscenity at Representative Horton after Horton asked a group of senators present on the House floor to stop talking so that the budget proceedings being considered could be heard. Peterson later apologized for her verbal attack.

The House voted in May 2019 to roll back a sales tax hike of 0.45 percent that was scheduled to expire in 2025, but Horton said that she was pessimistic about the tax being reduced because so many Republicans in the state Senate are not conservatives. "Not all Republicans are equal," she said.

In March 2022, Horton authored House Bill 837 that would punish schools, teachers and administrators for discussing any topics in classrooms that related to LGBTQ American individuals, their lives and their families. Horton stated that "my bill is an attempt to protect our most innocent from indoctrination of any kind." Horton went on to claim that sexual orientation is a choice.

In 2023, Horton authored HB8 which requires public schools to display the national motto of "In God We Trust" inside of all classrooms. The bill was signed by Governor John Bel Edwards in June 2023.

In 2024, Horton voted in favor of advancing House Bill 545 from the Administration of Criminal Justice committee. The bill, filed by Republican Beryl Amedee, would remove legal protections for obscenity from teachers and librarians in all Louisiana public schools.

In 2024, Horton pushed for House Bill 71, requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in all Louisiana public schools. The bill was signed into law June 18, 2024, by Governor Jeff Landry. Within hours after its signing the law was challenged by four civil liberties groups.

Personal life

Horton and her husband, Gary Lynn Horton (born November 1953), married in 1976. They have three daughters. She is Southern Baptist.

Horton has a high school education.

• United States
• Politics
• Conservatism

References

1. "Sylvia Horton, December 1956". Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
2. ^ Marty Carlson (June 17, 2015). "Carlson: Meet state representative candidate Dodie Horton". Bossier Press-Tribune. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
3. "Results for Election Date: 10/24/2015". Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
4. Hilburn, Greg (June 12, 2017). "Civility takes backseat: 'Sit down and shut up'". The News-Star. Monroe. Archived from the original on June 12, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
5. "Louisiana Senator Tells Dodie Horton of Haughton to ..." KEEL Radio. 9 June 2017. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
6. Robert J. Wright (May 24, 2019). "Dodie Horton on Tax Cuts: Not all Republicans are equal". KEEL Radio. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
7. "Louisiana State Representative Dodie Horton: Nothing in the proposed legislation refers to any particular group or lifestyle choice | Bossier Press-Tribune". Archived from the original on 2022-03-19. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
8. Ogunbayo, Morayo (August 2, 2023). "Louisiana public schools now required to display 'In God We Trust' in all classrooms". Yahoo.
9. "Roll Call and Record Vote" (PDF). Louisiana House of Representatives. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
10. "House Bill 545". Louisiana House of Representatives. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
11. https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2024/05/29/louisiana-first-state-require-ten-commandments-schools
12. https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/louisiana-require-public-school-classrooms-display-ten-commandments-110684894
13. Rojas, Rick (June 18, 2024). "Louisiana Requires Ten Commandments to Be Displayed in Every Public Classroom". The New York Times.
14. LaRose, Greg (June 19, 2024). "Louisiana Requires Ten Commandments to Be Displayed in Every Public Classroom". Yahoo.
15. "Gary Horton, November 1953". Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved November 29, 2015.

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