[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15903-15906]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



    SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING NATIONAL MOTTO FOR GOVERNMENT OF A 
                            RELIGIOUS PEOPLE

  Mr. BARR of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution (H.Res. 548) expressing the sense of Congress 
regarding the national motto for the government of a religious people, 
as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Whereas the national motto of the United States is ``In God 
     we trust'';
       Whereas the national motto was adopted in 1956 and is 
     codified in the laws of the United States at section 302 of 
     title 36, United States Code;
       Whereas the national motto is a reference to the Nation's 
     ``religious heritage'' (Lynch v. Donnelly, 465 U.S. 668, 676 
     (1984));
       Whereas the national motto recognizes the religious beliefs 
     and practices of the American people as an aspect of our 
     national history and culture;
       Whereas nearly every criminal law on the books can be 
     traced to some religious principle or inspiration;
       Whereas the national motto is deeply interwoven into the 
     fabric of our civil polity;
       Whereas the national motto recognizes the historical fact 
     that our Nation was believed to have been founded ``under 
     God'';
       Whereas the content of the national motto is as old as the 
     Republic itself and has always been as integral a part of the 
     first amendment as the very words of that charter of 
     religious liberty;
       Whereas the display and teaching of the national motto to 
     public school children has a valid secular purpose, such 
     secular purpose being to foster patriotism, symbolize the 
     historical role of religion in our society, express 
     confidence in the future, inculcate hope, and instruct in 
     humility;
       Whereas there is a long tradition of government 
     acknowledgment of religion in mottoes, oaths, and anthems;
       Whereas the national motto serves ``the legitimate secular 
     purposes of solemnizing public occasions, expressing 
     confidence in the future, and encouraging the recognition of 
     what is worthy of appreciation in society'' (Lynch v. 
     Donnelly, 465 U.S. at 693 (O'Connor, J., concurring));
       Whereas the national motto reflects the sentiment that 
     ``[w]e are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a 
     Supreme Being'' (Zorach v. Clauson, 343 U.S. 306, 313 
     (1952));
       Whereas President George Washington, in his Farewell 
     Address, stated, ``[o]f all the dispositions and habits which 
     lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are 
     indispensable supports,'' and ``[w]hatever may be conceded to 
     the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar 
     structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect 
     that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious 
     principle,'' and ``let us with caution indulge the 
     supposition that morality can prevail in exclusion of 
     religious principle'';
       Whereas President John Adams wrote that ``it is religion 
     and morality alone which can establish the principles upon 
     which freedom can securely stand'';
       Whereas the role of religion in public life is an important 
     one which deserves the public's attention;
       Whereas the signers of the Declaration of Independence 
     appealed to the Supreme Judge of the World for the rectitude 
     of their intentions, and avowed a firm reliance of the 
     protection of Divine Providence;
       Whereas President George Washington, in his First Inaugural 
     Address, said that ``it would be peculiarly improper to omit 
     in this first official act my fervent supplications to that 
     Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in 
     the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can 
     supply

[[Page 15904]]

     every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to 
     the liberties and happiness of the people of the United 
     States a Government instituted by themselves for these 
     essential purposes'';
       Whereas the First Congress urged President George 
     Washington to proclaim ``a day of public thanksgiving and 
     prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts 
     the many single favours of Almighty God'';
       Whereas the First Congress reenacted the Northwest 
     Ordinance, which stated that ``[r]eligion, morality, and 
     knowledge, being necessary to good government and the 
     happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education 
     shall forever be encouraged'';
       Whereas the Declaration of Independence demonstrates this 
     Nation was founded on transcendent values which flow from a 
     belief in a Supreme Being;
       Whereas the Founding Fathers believed devotedly that there 
     was a God and that the unalienable rights of man were rooted 
     in Him, is clearly evidenced in their writings, from the 
     Mayflower Compact to the Constitution itself;
       Whereas religion has been closely identified with the 
     history and Government of the United States;
       Whereas our national life reflects a religious people who 
     earnestly pray that the Supreme Lawgiver guide them in every 
     measure which may be worthy of His blessing; and
       Whereas the national motto is prominently engraved in the 
     wall above the Speaker's dais in the Chamber of the House of 
     Representatives, appears over the entrance to the Chamber of 
     the Senate, and is depicted on all United States coins and 
     currency: Now therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives encourages the 
     display of the national motto of the United States in public 
     buildings throughout the Nation.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Barr) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Barr).


                             General Leave

  Mr. BARR of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks and to include extraneous material on H. Res. 548.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Georgia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BARR of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to 
the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Schaffer) and I ask unanimous consent 
that he be permitted to control that time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Georgia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to review favorably and pass favorably 
H. Res. 548. This is a resolution that expresses the sense of Congress 
that the national motto ``In God We Trust'' should be posted and made 
public in all public buildings across the country.
  This is an important resolution, one which is inspired for me by 
Members of the Colorado State Board of Education, who just a few weeks 
ago adopted a State resolution encouraging the public display of the 
national motto ``In God We Trust'' in public schools throughout the 
State of Colorado.
  The State Board of Education in my State recognized the following, 
that during the Civil War, in response to a public desire for 
recognition of the Almighty God in some form on our coins, President 
Abraham Lincoln signed in law on April 22, 1864, a law which introduced 
the motto ``In God We Trust'' to our national coinage.
  It was on July 30, 1956, that President Dwight Eisenhower signed a 
law stating that the national motto of the United States is hereby 
declared to be ``In God We Trust.'' The Federal courts have repeatedly 
upheld the constitutionality of the national motto and its uses.
  It is in the public interest that the State of Colorado's Board of 
Education affirmed to uphold, affirm and celebrate the national 
heritage and the traditions and values which have been the foundation 
and the sustenance of our Nation as well as the elements vital to its 
future preservation.
  Our national motto is one of which we are all proud, Mr. Speaker. In 
fact, it is a motto that we will find posted in a number of sites right 
here in the United States Capitol Building.
  Across from the Capitol above the doors of the opposite body we will 
find the motto ``In God We Trust'' emblazoned above the doors there. 
And here in this Chamber just a few feet above where the Speaker 
stands, we find those encouraging words in bronze and marble, which are 
front and center as Members of this body stand where I am and where my 
colleagues are on the House floor to make various presentations of all 
sorts every day that the United States Congress is in session.
  This motto is one that in times of peril and in times of greatness 
Americans frequently resort to, both as a statement of thanks and also 
as a statement of reassurance that goes back to our early days, that 
goes back to our early days which our founders composed and to the 
Declaration of Independence, observing that all rights and liberties 
that Americans enjoy, those of life, liberty, and the pursuit of 
happiness and other rights, are not secured by government, they are not 
secured by a constitution, they are not secured by a king, not given by 
some government authority or power of any kind.
  No, in the United States, according to our Declaration, all rights 
that are enjoyed by the American citizens are given to us by the 
Almighty himself.
  It was to that proposition that our Founders appealed for the 
rectitude of their intentions in securing that declaration and 
launching a great and mighty Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, we have been troubled for too long a period of time with 
a certain amount of moral destruction and decay in our country, which 
results in violence from Americans against Americans, among children, 
among minorities, among all people who are wishing to thrive and be 
free and be safe and secure throughout the country.
  As we struggle here in this Congress with all kinds of solutions, 
whether they are to try to curb violence or try to promote responsible 
behavior or to set the appropriate laws in place to help make our 
Nation more safe and secure, it is fitting that we look to our national 
motto, which is the most fundamental statement, in my estimation, of 
where the answer lies. And so, this motto is one that all Americans 
embrace, one that we enjoy and celebrate routinely.
  But, on this day, I hope that the House will join me and the others 
that have cosponsored this bipartisan legislation in passing this 
resolution, which suggests that the motto should be prominently 
displayed in public buildings throughout the Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the resolution, which encourages 
States and localities to promote ``In God We Trust'' I guess in public 
buildings.
  Mr. Speaker, we have had no hearings on this resolution. In fact, the 
final version of the resolution that I received has a date stamp on it, 
July 24, 5:11 p.m., which was just a few minutes ago the final version 
that we are considering now was produced. It was not even introduced 
until 2 weeks ago, and now here we are considering it.
  This is a complicated issue when we start talking about religious 
freedoms. And my colleagues can notice by some of the recent Supreme 
Court cases, many of them 5-4, some going one way and then in the next 
case going the other way. We have had recent Supreme Court decisions on 
religious freedom, just the Texas case where they threw out the school 
prayer on football games on a 6-3 vote. This is a complicated issue. 
There are no easy answers to this. And here we are at a very short 
notice trying to consider this.
  Mr. Speaker, I feel very sensitive to this because I come from 
Virginia. Virginia led the Nation in religious freedom. The Virginia 
Statute for Religious Freedom was the basis for the First Amendment 
Bill of Rights. And so, I do not take this casually.
  Mr. Speaker, a few days ago we assumed the role of the United States 
Supreme Court when we declared that the

[[Page 15905]]

Ohio statute, the Ohio motto which had religious implications, was 
constitutional. That was an interesting exercise in light of Marbury v. 
Madison, a case decided by the Supreme Court a couple of centuries ago 
which stated that it was the Supreme Court's responsibility to declare 
statutes constitutional or not constitutional, not Congress's.
  But, in any case, with the emergency, no hearings, here we are on the 
floor. We are not trying to improve Medicare with prescription drugs. 
We are not trying to preserve Social Security. We are not doing 
anything about HMO reform or juvenile crime or background checks for 
firearm purchases. We are here with this emergency legislation, without 
any hearings here on the floor, no markup in committee so that these 
complicated Supreme Court decisions can be analyzed so that we will 
know what we are doing.
  Mr. Speaker, this is not unusual for this Congress. We have shown a 
lot of disrespect for the Constitution. As a matter of fact, in the 
last 2 years or so, we have tried to amend the Constitution no less 
than nine separate times.
  We had a prayer amendment that was given consideration, campaign 
finance, the flag amendment, balanced budget amendment, tax limitation 
amendment, term limits, electoral college, victims' rights. We even had 
a hearing on an amendment to make it easier to amend the Constitution.
  The Constitution is a foundation of American law that we all have to 
live under. But, of course, some people seem so privileged that they do 
not have to live under the same laws and same Constitution as everybody 
else.
  In fact, just this session, when we had a case where a bank lost a 
case filed by the Department of Labor, instead of being subjected to 
the law like everybody else, the Committee on Education and Workforce 
reported a bill to retroactively change the law to help that bank out.
  A few years ago, we settled a complex child custody case with 
language found in a transportation appropriations conference report.
  Mr. Speaker, the Committee on the Judiciary recently reported a bill 
to retroactively change the law so asbestos manufacturers will not have 
to pay the bills run up by victims of asbestos related lung disease.
  Here we are, no hearing, 2 weeks after the introduction of the bill, 
pretending to give consideration to this complex issue involving our 
fundamental religious liberties.
  I would hope, Mr. Speaker, that instead of this kind of drive-by 
consideration that we would show more respect for our Constitution and 
our religious liberties by voting no on this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as to the complexity of this legislation, I would differ 
with the description of the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) that 
this is a complex matter. In fact, it is nothing close to that, unless 
we try to read items such as we just heard about asbestos and banking 
and Medicare and drug abuse and these kinds of things into that 
resolution.
  None of these items appear here. This is strictly on the motto that 
we read in front of us here on the House floor and whether it is 
suitable for the Congress to suggest that it be displayed in public 
buildings around the country.
  I think as far as whether individuals need hearings to understand the 
importance of whether ``In God We Trust'' is still a useful motto for 
the country, I would suggest that most Members probably have a firm 
opinion about that at the moment. But I will concede that the date that 
we find on the bottom of the bill suggests it might have been 
introduced just a few minutes ago.
  Actually, the bill has been introduced a few weeks now. This version 
that is in front of us now and that was moved by the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Barr) is a corrected version. There were some errors in 
the legal citations of the Supreme Court references, as well as a 
couple erroneous dates that were mentioned here. So the version in 
front of us has no substantive difference from the version which has 
been before the House now for more than a couple of weeks.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. 
Shows).
  Mr. SHOWS. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my friend the gentleman from 
Colorado (Mr. Schaffer) yielding me the time to speak on the bill and 
on behalf of the bill.
  It is not many times I get up here and talk on the opposite side of 
my friend, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott). But in this I 
believe.
  ``In God We Trust'' is our motto. We can see it above the Speaker's 
head right here. And it should be engraved into our national 
conscience. The values we teach at home and church are universal and 
should not be left outside the schoolhouse door or outside of where we 
work and play every day.
  I am not afraid to say ``In God We Trust'' whenever and wherever I 
want. All Americans should have that right. However, I have long been 
concerned about the decline of moral values and freedoms in our 
society.
  Recently I introduced H. Res. 551, which encourages ``In God We 
Trust'' to be posted prominently in all public and government 
buildings, just like it is in my own office, right next to the Ten 
Commandments.
  I wrote H. Res. 551 with the direct assistance of Reverend Donald 
Wildman of the American Family Association. It is a bipartisan measure 
with 23 cosponsors on the bill. However, today we have H. Res. 548, the 
bill on the floor today.
  This is an issue too important to let partisan politics get in the 
way, so I have added my name as a cosponsor of this bill, H. Res. 548, 
as a gesture of unity and bipartisanship.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleagues making ``In God We Trust'' 
our priority in Congress. Let us adopt the ``In God We Trust'' 
resolution today for our families, for our Nation, and let us encourage 
a public display of ``In God We Trust.''
  Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I just want to make a comment about the complexity of 
this particular issue.

                              {time}  1745

  A simple question as to whether or not you can have a religious 
display during Christmas season. We have had 5-4 Supreme Court 
decisions saying in some cases you can, in some cases you cannot.
  When and how you can pray in school. We have had cases that say 
sometimes you can, sometimes you cannot. The Department of Education in 
that case has published a pamphlet to show localities exactly what the 
state of the law is and how you can have certain prayers in schools, 
under what conditions, so that there is some guidance.
  We are inviting localities and States into this quagmire without any 
guidance at all, just inviting lawsuits. That is why we should show 
more respect for our Constitution and the Bill of Rights by voting 
``no'' on this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Right here on our American currency, we find the motto we are 
debating here today, ``In God We Trust.'' There is nothing 
controversial about it. This is the motto that is on all American 
currency. It is something we live with routinely in the United States. 
In fact, it is one of the reasons I submit, the meaning of it, that we 
are the great and mighty Nation that we are today. This is not 
something to be afraid of or ashamed of. This is a motto we should be 
quite proud of and be proud to display it around the country.
  As to whether the Supreme Court has come close to even ruling on ``In 
God We Trust,'' the reality is they have considered the national motto 
and its relevance and its constitutionality, and that is the basis of 
many of the findings in the resolution itself. There are several cases 
that I would refer the gentleman to and other Members who

[[Page 15906]]

are interested in the Supreme Court's record on the national motto.
  There is Lynch v. Donnelly from 1984. There is also Engel v. Vitale, 
which is a more recent case. There is Abington v. Schempp; Gaylor v. 
The United States, a more recent Supreme Court decision about 
displaying and teaching of the motto to public school children has a 
valid secular purpose.
  And so our Supreme Court has ruled on this question over and over and 
over again. It has no relationship whatsoever to the examples that my 
good friend and colleague had cited. This is our national motto, not a 
prayer, not promotion of some religion. This is a motto about the same 
God, the same sentiment, the same beliefs that our Founders 
incorporated in the Declaration of Independence, ultimately our 
Constitution, that is incorporated into the prayer that we open up the 
House Chamber with every day and the motto which we see right before us 
in bronze lettering embedded in the marble right here in front of us, 
``In God We Trust.''
  I concede that there may be some who do not, but as a Nation, as a 
whole, this is not a controversial statement of any kind. This is one 
of the key mottos, the key phrases and statements and motto that unites 
us as a people and has made us the greatest country on the planet. We 
should not run from it. We should endorse it and embrace it and suggest 
that the same motto that is on the currency we spend every day is one 
that we are greeted with in every public building across the country.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kuykendall). The question is on the 
motion offered by the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Barr) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, House Resolution 548, as 
amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was 
agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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