IV 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 250 

Expressing support for prayer at school board meetings. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 6, 2013 

Mr. WALBERG (for himself, Mr. JONES, Mr. BUCHANAN, Mr. HUELSKAMP, 

Mr. BROUN of Georgia, Mr. RAHALL, Mr. GINGREY of Georgia, Mr. 

HUIZENGA of Michigan, Mr. NEUGEBAUER, Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. RIBBLE, Mr. GARRETT, Mr. WENSTRUP, Mr. 

LATTA, Mr. FLEMING, Mr. POSEY, Mr. PITTS, Mr. WOLF, Mr. BISHOP

of Utah, Mr. FORBES, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. HARPER, Mr. 

MILLER of Florida, Mrs. HARTZLER, Mrs. WALORSKI, Mr. WEBER of 

Texas, Mr. CARTER, Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. HULTGREN, Mr. 

FRANKS of Arizona, Mr. COBLE, Mr. KING of Iowa, Mr. SOUTHERLAND, 

Mr. GRAVES of Georgia, Mr. WEBSTER of Florida, Mr. HARRIS, Mr. ROSKAM, Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio, Mr. WESTMORELAND, Mrs. BLACKBURN, 

Mr. NUNNELEE, Mr. ROE of Tennessee, and Mr. SCALISE) submitted the 

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education 

and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, 

for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 

for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 

committee concerned 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for prayer at school board meetings. 

Whereas the freedom to practice religion and to express religious thought is a fundamental and unalienable right 

guaranteed under the United States Constitution; 

Whereas the United States was founded on the principle of 

freedom of religion and not freedom from religion; 


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•HRES 250 IH 

Whereas the framers intended that the First Amendment to 

the Constitution would prohibit the Federal Government 

from enacting any law that favors one religious denomination over another, and protect not prohibit the mention 

of religion or reference to God in civic dialogue; 

Whereas in 1983 the Supreme Court of the United States 

held in Marsh v. Chambers, 463 U.S. 783, that the practice of opening sessions of legislative bodies and other deliberative public bodies with prayer is so deeply embedded 

in the history and tradition of the United States that it 

has become part of the fabric of 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, but rather is simply a tolerable acknowledgment of beliefs widely held among the people of 

the Nation; 

Whereas voluntary prayer in legislative and other deliberative 

bodies should not be limited to prayer in the United 

States Senate and House of Representatives and State 

legislatures; 

Whereas school boards are deliberative public bodies of 

adults, akin to a legislature, in that they are predominantly elected by the people, act in the public interest, 

and hold sessions that are open to the public for voluntary attendance; 

Whereas the nature of school boards as deliberative public 

bodies, akin to a legislature, is further established by the 

fact that they enact policies and regulations that are 

given the force of law in managing and supervising the 

schools within their realm of governance, similar to statutes and ordinances enacted by Federal, State, and other 


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•HRES 250 IH 

local deliberative public bodies to regulate the areas within their purview; 

Whereas the nature of school boards as deliberative public 

bodies, akin to a legislature, is not altered by the presence of students or any other group of observers, just as 

the nature of the United States Senate and House of 

Representatives and State legislatures as deliberative 

public bodies is not altered although individuals regularly 

attend such legislative sessions for a variety of purposes; 

Whereas the nature of school boards as deliberative public 

bodies, akin to a legislature, is not altered by the location 

at which they hold their sessions, just as the nature of 

the United States Senate and House of Representatives 

and State legislatures as deliberative public bodies is not 

derived from the location at which those bodies host their 

sessions; 

Whereas the nature of school boards as deliberative public 

bodies, akin to a legislature, is not altered by the subject 

matter of the deliberation, just as the nature of the 

United States Senate and House of Representatives and 

State legislatures as deliberative public bodies is not altered when such bodies spend a substantial amount of 

time legislating on a specific subject matter; and 

Whereas voluntary prayer by a deliberative public body 

should be protected under law and encouraged in society 

because voluntary prayer has become a part of the fabric 

of this society, voluntary prayer acknowledges beliefs 

widely held among the people of the Nation, and the Supreme Court of the United States has held that it is not 

a violation of the Establishment Clause for a public body 

to invoke divine guidance: Now, therefore, be it 


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1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes that school boards are delibera3 tive public bodies, and should be free to engage in 

4 prayer at the beginning of meetings; 

5 (2) recognizes that school boards are delibera6 tive public bodies, and should be free to engage in 

7 prayer at the beginning of meetings consistent with 

8 the prayer practice upheld in Marsh v. Chambers; 

9 (3) recognizes that prayer before school board 

10 meetings is a protected act in accordance with the 

11 fundamental principles upon which the Nation was 

12 founded; and 

13 (4) expresses support for the voluntary practice 

14 of prayer at the beginning of meetings of legislative 

15 bodies and other deliberative public bodies, including 

16 school board meetings. 

Æ 


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