Richey and Jenkins were leaders of the movement to legalize [[home schooling]] in 1980. The Louisiana Conservative Union named him "Legislator of the Year" in 1979, and the Shreveport-Bossier Pro-Family Forum accorded him similar recognition in 1980.
Jenkins, Richey, Scott, Carson, and Representatives Benjamin Franklin O'Neal, Jr. (1922-2004), of Shreveport and [[E. Clark Gaudin ]] of Baton Rouge formed the Independent Legislative Study Group, an informal mix of conservatives who met daily when the House was in session or when important business was pending before committees. "The ILSG enabled us to maximize our fire power against the Edwards machine. We seldom won, but had a good time setting small fires all over the place," Richey recalled.
==Out of politics, 1984-1997==