[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 132 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 132

        Expressing support for prayer at school board meetings.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

               April 29 (legislative day, April 28), 2005

  Mr. Vitter (for himself, Mr. Coburn, and Mr. DeMint) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                               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 that 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, 463 
        U.S. 783, 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 Congress;
Whereas school boards are deliberative bodies of adults similar to a legislature 
        in that they are elected by the people, act in the public interest, and 
        are open to the public for voluntary attendance; 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 Senate--
            (1) recognizes that prayer before school board meetings is 
        a protected act in accordance with the fundamental principles 
        upon which the Nation was founded; and
            (2) expresses support for the practice of prayer at the 
        beginning of school board meetings.
                                 <all>