[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 5 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 5

        Expressing support for prayer at school board meetings.


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 6, 2009

 Mr. Vitter 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 to the Constitution 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 dialogue;
Whereas in 1983, the 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 invoking divine guidance on a public 
        body entrusted with making the laws is not a violation of the 
        Establishment Clause of the first amendment, but rather is simply a 
        tolerable acknowledgment of beliefs widely held among the people of the 
        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 
        hold sessions that 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 the 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>