A Kentucky state lawmaker is upset that God isn't getting enough credit for keeping the homeland secure, not only because he believes the Almighty should be thanked, but because a 2006 state law demands it.

Rep. Tom Riner (D-Louisville), a Southern Baptist minister who helped usher in the law, said that the state's office of homeland security is ignoring at least one of its provisions: including an acknowledgment of God's benevolent protection in the homeland security office's annual reports. The 2008 report, issued a month ago, did not credit God.

According to the homeland security authorization law, the first duty of the state office is "stressing the dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth."

Besides the shout-out required in annual reports, the law also stipulates that a plaque be posted at the state's Emergency Operations Center with a similar message. The required 88-word statement begins, "The safety and security of the Commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God."

The law's "God provision," included as an amendment by Riner, sailed through the state legislature in 2006 with an overwhelming majority.

This is recognition that government alone cannot guarantee the perfect safety of the people of Kentucky," Riner told the Lexington Herald-Leader. "Government itself, apart from God, cannot close the security gap. The job is too big for government."

The part of the job that does fall pretty squarely on government is managing the office's $28 million budget, which comes mostly from federal funds. That money goes to executing the office's mission of "lead[ing] the Commonwealth's coordination and collaboration efforts with public and private preparedness partners to ensure a Ready and Prepared Kentucky."

The missing mention of God in the mission statement bothers Riner.

"We certainly expect it to be there, of course," Riner said.

Current state homeland security chief Thomas Preston has tried to stay out of the religious debate surrounding the law.

"I will not try to supplant almighty God," Preston said. "All I do is try to obey the dictates of the Kentucky General Assembly. I really don't know what their motivation was for this. They obviously felt strongly about it."