III 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 744 

Recognizing May 3, 2018, as the 30th anniversary of the National Day 

of Prayer established under the Act entitled ‘‘An Act to provide for 

setting aside the first Thursday in May as the date on which the 

National Day of Prayer is celebrated’’, approved May 5, 1988, which 

was signed by President Ronald Reagan on May 5, 1988. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 2, 2019 

Mr. LANKFORD (for himself, Mr. KING, Mr. COTTON, Mr. WICKER, Mr. 

DAINES, Mr. RISCH, Mrs. ERNST, Mr. BLUNT, Ms. HEITKAMP, Mr. 

HOEVEN, Mr. CASSIDY, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. KENNEDY, and Mr. RUBIO) 

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 

on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing May 3, 2018, as the 30th anniversary of the 

National Day of Prayer established under the Act entitled ‘‘An Act to provide for setting aside the first Thursday in May as the date on which the National Day 

of Prayer is celebrated’’, approved May 5, 1988, which 

was signed by President Ronald Reagan on May 5, 1988. 

Whereas section 119 of title 36, United States Code, states 

that, ‘‘The President shall issue each year a proclamation 

designating the first Thursday in May as a National Day 

of Prayer on which the people of the United States may 


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turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in 

groups, and as individuals.’’; 

Whereas May 3, 2018, marks the 30th anniversary of the 

National Day of Prayer established under the Act entitled ‘‘An Act to provide for setting aside the first Thursday in May as the date on which the National Day of 

Prayer is celebrated’’, approved May 5, 1988 (Public 

Law 100–307; 102 Stat. 456) (referred to in this preamble as ‘‘Public Law 100–307’’), which was signed by 

President Ronald Reagan on May 5, 1988, and later 

codified as section 119 of title 36, United States Code; 

Whereas, as Senator Jesse Helms stated on the day the vehicle that would become Public Law 100–307 passed the 

Senate— 

(1) ‘‘Designating the first Thursday in May as the 

National Day of Prayer allows the people of the United 

States to plan and prepare to intercede as a corporate 

body on behalf of the Nation and its leaders from year 

to year with certainty.’’; and 

(2) ‘‘[T]he magnitude of America’s problems, within 

and without the country, evidence a need for divine healing and guidance.’’; 

Whereas, as Representative Tony Hall stated on the day the 

vehicle that would become Public Law 100–307 passed 

the House of Representatives, ‘‘This will help to bring 

more certainty to the scheduling of events related to the 

National Day of Prayer, and permit more effective longrange planning. For the past 7 years, the day has been 

observed in May, but before this period it was observed 

at different times of the year. Clarifying legislation is 

needed to ensure consistent and dependable observance of 

the National Day of Prayer.’’; 


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Whereas the United States has a long history of turning to 

prayer both in times of crisis and in times of thanksgiving, as demonstrated on the following occasions: 

(1) President Barack Obama stated in Presidential 

Proclamation No. 9441 of May 4, 2016 (81 Fed. Reg. 

27983), ‘‘In times of steady calm and extraordinary 

change alike, Americans of all walks of life have long 

turned to prayer to seek refuge, demonstrate gratitude, 

and discover peace. Sustaining us through great uncertainty and moments of sorrow, prayer allows us an outlet 

for introspection, and for expressing our hopes, desires, 

and fears. It offers strength in the face of hardship, and 

redemption when we falter. Our country was founded on 

the idea of religious freedom, and we have long upheld 

the belief that how we pray and whether we pray are 

matters reserved for an individual’s own conscience. On 

National Day of Prayer, we rededicate ourselves to extending this freedom to all people.’’. 

(2) President Donald Trump stated in Presidential 

Proclamation No. 9634 of September 1, 2017 (82 Fed. 

Reg. 42439), ‘‘I urge Americans of all faiths and religious traditions and backgrounds to offer prayers today 

for all those harmed by Hurricane Harvey, including people who have lost family members or been injured, those 

who have lost homes or other property, and our first responders, law enforcement officers, military personnel, 

and medical professionals leading the response and recovery efforts. Each of us, in our own way, may call upon 

our God for strength and comfort during this difficult 

time. I call on all Americans and houses of worship 

throughout the Nation to join in one voice of prayer, as 

we seek to uplift one another and assist those suffering 

from the consequences of this terrible storm.’’. 


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(3) On September 5, 2017, in response to Hurricane 

Harvey, Minority Leader of the Senate Chuck Schumer 

said on the floor of the Senate, ‘‘Right now, large parts 

of the fourth largest city in our country remain underwater. I extend my most heartfelt sympathies to the people of Houston and to those across parts of Texas and 

Louisiana who are just beginning a long road to recovery 

from Hurricane Harvey. Having lived through Hurricane 

Sandy in my home State of New York, I remember the 

agonies of families who lost their homes, lost their businesses, and, particularly in the first month, had a sense 

of helplessness about what had happened to them. Our 

thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Houston.’’. 

(4) On June 14, 2017, after the shooting in Alexandria, Virginia— 

(A) Senator James Lankford said in a prayer 

on the floor of the Senate, ‘‘[A]s I have walked 

through the hallways heading back and forth to different meetings, I have been interested to see many 

doors that I have walked by, and when those doors 

were open, I could hear people inside praying. There 

have been at least three organized prayer meetings 

on the Hill today, specifically related just to that, 

and others spontaneously occurring. Just for a moment we have the opportunity to be able to reflect 

and say to God: Thank You so much for protecting 

the people on that field. Thank you again to the 

Capitol Police, who literally put their lives on the 

line to protect the guests and the Members and staff 

here every single day . . . I would like to be able to 

join what is happening all over this Hill for just a 

moment in this room—for us to be able to pray for 

a moment . . . .’’; 


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(B) Minority Leader of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said on the floor of the House 

of Representatives, ‘‘You may not know this, my colleagues, but every time I pray, which is very frequently, and certainly every Sunday, I pray for all 

of you, all of you together. In the earlier years, I 

used to pray for your happiness, for the fact that we 

would, working together, heed the words of President Kennedy in the closing of his inaugural address 

when he said: ‘. . . God’s work must truly be our 

own.’ How do we view what God’s will is for us? 

How do we come together to give confidence to the 

American people? As our Founders intended, we 

would have our disagreements and we would debate 

them, and we would have confidence in our beliefs 

and humility to listen to others. But in more recent 

years, I have been praying not only for that, but for 

our safety . . . My prayer is that we can resolve our 

differences in a way that furthers the preamble to 

the Constitution, takes us closer to ‘e pluribus 

unum.’ And today, again, it is in the family. It is 

an injury in the family for the staff and for our colleague and for his leadership.’’; and 

(C) Speaker of the House of Representatives 

Paul Ryan said on the floor of the House of Representatives, ‘‘My colleagues, there are so many 

memories from this day that we will want to forget, 

and there are so many images that we will not want 

to see again. But there is one image in particular 

that this House should keep, and that is a photo I 

saw this morning of our Democratic colleagues gathered in prayer this morning after hearing the news 

. . . So before this House returns to its business, 


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let’s just slow down and reflect to think about how 

we are all being tested right now, because we are 

being tested right now. I ask each of you to join me 

to resolve to come together, to lift each other up, 

and to show the country, to show the world, that we 

are one House, the people’s House, united in our humanity. It is that humanity which will win the day, 

and it always will. God bless.’’. 

(5) On September 28, 2017, Representative Steve 

Scalise, marking his return to the House of Representatives after being shot on a baseball field in Alexandria, 

Virginia, said on the floor of House of Representatives, 

‘‘[W]hen I was laying out on that ball field, the first 

thing I did once I was down and couldn’t move anymore 

is I just started to pray. And I’ll tell you it gave me an 

unbelievable sense of calm knowing that at that point it 

was in God’s hands. But I prayed for very specific things, 

and I will tell you pretty much every one of those prayers 

was answered, and they were some pretty challenging 

prayers I was putting in God’s hands. He really did deliver for me and my family. And it just gives you that 

renewed faith and understanding that the power of prayer is something that you just cannot underestimate.’’. 

(6) On October 2, 2017, after the shooting in Las 

Vegas, Nevada, Majority Leader of the Senate Mitch 

McConnell said on the floor of the Senate, ‘‘The news we 

awoke to this morning was heartbreaking. What happened in Las Vegas is shocking, it is tragic, and for those 

affected and their families, it is devastating. It is hard 

to even imagine their pain. I hope they will know that we 

are praying for them now. I hope they will find strength 

in the love and kindness of those around them in these 


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hours of such darkness and pain. I hope they will see 

that our country is standing by their side today.’’; 

Whereas the act of prayer is both an expression of religious 

belief and an act of speech that is protected by the First 

Amendment to the Constitution of the United States; 

Whereas the National Day of Prayer— 

(1) is consistent with the Establishment Clause of 

the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United 

States; 

(2) belongs to all people in the United States; and 

(3) ‘‘is very much in keeping with the pluralistic 

spirit of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. No single religious group can claim ownership or 

control of the National Day of Prayer; rather, it truly belongs to all Americans who seek divine guidance for 

themselves and for the country,’’ as Representative 

Mervyn Dymally noted on the day the vehicle that would 

become Public Law 100–307 passed the House of Representatives; 

Whereas calling for prayer in times of crisis and thanksgiving 

creates a sense of unity in the United States, and, as 

President Ronald Reagan noted in a radio address in 

1982, ‘‘[P]rayer is one of the few things in this world 

that hurts no one and sustains the spirit of millions.’’; 

and 

Whereas declaring a National Day of Prayer sets the United 

States apart as a country, and, as Representative William 

Dannemeyer noted on the day the vehicle that would become Public Law 100–307 passed the House of Representatives, ‘‘A Nation in prayer has traditionally given 

this great Republic of ours the efficacy required to sustain it. A National Day of Prayer should be more than 


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a mere commemorative occasion, it should be the spiritual sustenance that sets America apart from the rest of 

the world, the difference between freedom under God or 

slavery under the rule of men.’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the 30th anniversary of the Na3 tional Day of Prayer established under the Act enti4 tled ‘‘An Act to provide for setting aside the first 

5 Thursday in May as the date on which the National 

6 Day of Prayer is celebrated’’, approved May 5, 1988 

7 (Public Law 100–307; 102 Stat. 456), which was 

8 signed by President Ronald Reagan on May 5, 1988, 

9 and later codified as section 119 of title 36, United 

10 States Code; 

11 (2) encourages all people in the United States 

12 to reaffirm the importance prayer has played in the 

13 heritage of the United States; and 

14 (3) expresses support for the continued recogni15 tion each year of— 

16 (A) the National Day of Prayer; and 

17 (B) the importance that prayer and faith 

18 have played in the history of the United States. 

Æ 


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