[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 83 (Monday, June 27, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 27, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                  RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ON THE RACE TRACK

                                 ______


                         HON. CHARLES H. TAYLOR

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 27, 1994

  Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, last week, I joined with 
several NASCAR drivers at a press conference to express our concerns 
with religious harassment guidelines proposed by the Equal Employment 
Opportunity Commission. One of the drivers who spoke at the press 
conference was Darrell Waltrip, the NASCAR Winston Cup champion in 
1981, 1982, and 1985. Mr. Waltrip wrote an Op-Ed piece in today's 
Washington Times. As he so eloquently points out, the proposed 
religious harassment guidelines could lead to the termination of 
services at the track. I am pleased to share Mr. Waltrip's remarks on 
this issue.

               [From the Washington Times, June 27, 1994]

              Religious Freedom on the Race Track, and Off

                          (By Darrell Waltrip)

       Professional race-car drivers rarely write opinion pieces. 
     However, an issue has come to my attention of such importance 
     that I felt compelled to do all I possibly can to stop what I 
     see as a grave danger to my religious freedom and the 
     religious freedom of all American citizens.
       When I heard about the Equal Employment Opportunity 
     Commission's (EEOC) proposed guidelines banning religious 
     harassment in the workplace, I was deeply concerned. The 
     professional racing community, like many others in 
     professional sports, participate in a number of religious 
     activities in the workplace. Chapel services prior to Sunday 
     races are an important part of our lives. Of necessity, these 
     services must take place within the confines of our somewhat 
     unusual workplace.
       My wife and two daughters join me for these religious 
     services. The new EEOC guidelines would prevent our family 
     from worshipping together and would certainly prevent many in 
     the professional sports community from worshipping on Sundays 
     at all.
       I believe the vast majority of the drivers and other 
     members of the racing community, as well as most of our 
     millions of fans, find any limitation upon our religious 
     liberty to be absolutely unacceptable.
       Professional athletes in every sport are compelled to find 
     opportunities within the workplace to exercise their faith or 
     else it simply becomes impossible to worship God.
       But my concern is for all Americans, not just athletes. 
     American adults in the workplace should not be treated like 
     criminals just because they believe in God and have the 
     audacity to make some public mention of that fact on the job. 
     No one should be able to punish a worker who bows his head 
     over his lunch pail, just because some other worker is 
     offended.
       Even though I was troubled by this action by the EEOC, I 
     wasn't sure what could be done about the seemingly 
     imminent regulations. What should concerned NASCAR drivers 
     do? Through contacts in Washington, I was told about the 
     Taylor-Wolf Amendment to the Commerce, Justice, State 
     Appropriations Bill that could be voted on in the House of 
     Representatives as early as today. Some of my fellow 
     drivers and I flew up to Washington this past week to hold 
     a press conference urging Congress to pass the Taylor-Wolf 
     Amendment, which prevents the EEOC from imposing the 
     proposed religious harassment guidelines.
       The EEOC regulations, which are the target of this 
     amendment, have been criticized by religious and legal 
     organizations from all sides of the political perspective. 
     And in a recent non-binding vote, the Senate voted 94-0 to 
     urge the EEOC to delete the so-called religious harassment 
     guidelines from its proposed order.
       However, members of the professional racing community and 
     the sport community as a whole want to make sure that the 
     EEOC's efforts, which could curtail religious liberty, are 
     stopped by binding legislation. Our freedoms are too precious 
     to be left to non-binding votes alone. We want protection 
     that is effective, and that is why we strongly support the 
     Taylor-Wolf Amendment.
       A major airline has already implemented the proposed 
     guidelines by banning all religious speech whatsoever in the 
     workplace. Legal departments of other companies may reach 
     similar conclusions. And it doesn't take a NASCAR crew chief 
     to figure out that some Federal judge somewhere might 
     eventually rule that any discussion of religion or display of 
     religious symbols or materials violate the EEOC's rules.
       No one favors true religious harassment. Such harassment is 
     already made illegal by Title VII and other Federal laws. But 
     voluntary chapel service, Bible studies, religious symbols, 
     and discussions of the Gospel and other religious topics 
     among adults in the workplace would be threatened if these 
     EEOC guidelines are allowed to become final.
       This seems like a time when the plain language if the First 
     Amendment should be heard. ``Congress shall pass no law . . . 
     prohibiting the free exercise [of religion].'' The Founders 
     of our nation wanted the robust freedom that lets people 
     exercise their religion in public. Are we so afraid of that 
     freedom that we must ban religious activities just because 
     one person is ``sensitive''? True freedom means that we have 
     the right to exercise our religion in public. This includes 
     speaking and writing about our beliefs, and peaceably 
     assembling to share them with others. We have this right 
     whether we are at home, in church, in military service, or on 
     the race track.
       In an effort to swat the last gnat of religious harassment, 
     the EEOC appears ready to swallow up major portions of our 
     religious liberty. We are unwilling to remain in the stands 
     when our religious liberty is at stake. The EEOC needs to 
     have the brakes applied to this effort. And I hope that 
     Congress will bring this sorry episode of big government 
     intrusion upon our liberties to a screeching halt.

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