[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 146 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 146

        Expressing support for prayer at school board meetings.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 10, 2005

   Mr. Jindal (for himself and Mr. Boustany) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and 
  in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
        Expressing support for prayer at school board meetings.

Whereas the freedom to practice religion and to express religious thought is 
        acknowledged to be a fundamental and unalienable right belonging to all 
        individuals;
Whereas the United States was founded on the principle of freedom of religion 
        and not freedom from religion;
Whereas the framers intended that the First Amendment would prohibit the Federal 
        Government from enacting any law which favors one religious denomination 
        over another, not prohibit any mention of religion or reference to God 
        in civic dialog;
Whereas in 1983, the United States Supreme Court held in Marsh v. Chambers that 
        the practice of opening legislative sessions with prayer has become part 
        of the fabric of our society and to invoke divine guidance on a public 
        body entrusted with making the laws is not a violation of the 
        Establishment Clause, but rather is simply a tolerable acknowledgment of 
        beliefs widely held among the people of this Nation;
Whereas voluntary prayer in elected bodies should not be limited to prayer in 
        State legislatures and the Congress;
Whereas the Tangipahoa School Board is a deliberative body of adults similar to 
        a legislature in that it is elected by the people, acts in the public 
        interest, and is open to the public for voluntary attendance;
Whereas the Tangipahoa School Board enjoys a long-standing tradition of opening 
        board meetings with voluntary prayer; and
Whereas voluntary prayer by an elected body should be protected under law and 
        encouraged in society because voluntary prayer has become a part of the 
        fabric of our society, voluntary prayer acknowledges beliefs widely held 
        among the people of this Nation, and the Supreme Court has held that it 
        is not a violation of the Establishment Clause for a public body to 
        invoke divine guidance: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes that prayer before school board meetings is 
        a protected act in accordance with the fundamental principles 
        upon which the Nation was founded;
            (2) strongly disapproves of a decision by the United States 
        District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, which 
        ruled against the Tangipahoa School Board opening its meetings 
        with prayer; and
            (3) expresses support for the practice of prayer at the 
        beginning of school board meetings.
                                 <all>