[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 185 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 185

   To prohibit the provision of Federal funds to any State or local 
      educational agency that denies or prevents participation in 
                   constitutional prayer in schools.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 22, 1997

   Mr. Helms introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
         referred to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To prohibit the provision of Federal funds to any State or local 
      educational agency that denies or prevents participation in 
                   constitutional prayer in schools.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Voluntary School Prayer Protection 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FUNDING CONTINGENT ON RESPECT FOR CONSTITUTIONAL SCHOOL PRAYER.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no 
funds made available through the Department of Education shall be 
provided to any State or local educational agency that has a policy of 
denying, or that effectively prevents participation in, constitutional 
prayer in public schools by individuals on a voluntary basis.
    (b) Limitation.--No person shall be required to participate in 
prayer, or shall influence the form or content of any constitutional 
prayer, in public schools.
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