[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 21674]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1830

                           FREEDOM OF PRAYER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address an 
issue that Americans from the time of our Founders found fundamental in 
the forming of our country. That issue is the freedom of prayer as it 
relates to that right as defined under our Constitution in Amendment 1, 
``Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or 
prohibiting the free exercise thereof.''
  Tomorrow, in the State of Florida, two men, including the Pace High 
School principal and athletic director, face criminal contempt charges 
for prayer offered at a fieldhouse luncheon for private contributors in 
which no students were present.
  The right to practice religion is among the most fundamental of the 
freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. While this right is 
guaranteed through our Constitution under the legislative authority and 
responsibility of the legislative branch, it was the judicial branch 
and judges, I would argue, without constitutional authority, 
legislating from the bench, that imposed an unconstitutional 
infringement on the rights of teachers, administrators, and students to 
free exercise of their religion.
  This outrageous action was driven by a lawsuit filed by the ACLU 
against the Santa Rosa County School District, claiming that some 
teachers and administrators were endorsing religion in their schools. 
The school district entered into an agreement without any legal 
argument that prohibited prayer at all school-sponsored events and even 
prohibited all employees from engaging in prayer. Prohibited 
individuals from praying.
  Principal Franklin Lay and Athletic Director Robert Freeman offered a 
prayer. The prayer was offered innocently, without intent to violate 
the order, and they didn't do it to take a stand against the order. 
They did not realize the order applied to them in such a way--a prayer 
before a meal at an event with private contributors in which no 
students were present.
  The U.S. District Court initiated criminal contempt proceedings and 
the two men face potentially fines, jail time, and loss of their 
retirement benefits for exercising a right guaranteed under the 
Constitution.
  Mr. Speaker, this is wrong. I stand with Principal Lay and Athletic 
Director Freeman to their right granted under our Constitution in 
Amendment 1 to freely exercise their religion and specifically to pray.
  Mr. Speaker, I pray that we return to a time when our constitutional 
right to pray is honored, recognized, and, at the very least, not 
criminalized.

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