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[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 11 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 11

        Expressing support for prayer at school board meetings.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

             January 23 (legislative day, January 3), 2013

 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 of the Constitution of the United States 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 that the First Amendment to the Constitution would 
        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 to the Constitution, but 
        rather is simply a tolerable acknowledgment of beliefs widely held among 
        the people of the United States;
Whereas voluntary prayer by 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 United States, and the Supreme Court has held 
        that it is not a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First 
        Amendment to the Constitution 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 United States was founded; and
            (2) expresses support for the practice of prayer at the 
        beginning of school board meetings.
                                 <all>
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