IV 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 881 
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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 8, 2018 
Mr. LOUDERMILK (for himself, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. CONAWAY, Mr. HARPER, Mr. 
JODY B. HICE of Georgia, Mr. ADERHOLT, Mr. BRADY of Texas, Mr. 
WEBER of Texas, Mr. MESSER, Mr. NORMAN, Mr. HARRIS, Mr. FER-
GUSON, Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania, 
Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. WALKER, Mr. ESTES of Kansas, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. 
BURGESS, Mr. PITTENGER, Mr. CURTIS, Mr. HUNTER, Mr. OLSON, Mr. 
GROTHMAN, Mr. LATTA, and Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight 
and Government Reform 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing May 3, 2018, as the 30th anniversary of the 
National Day of Prayer established under the Act enti-
tled ‘‘An Act to provide for setting aside the first Thurs-
day 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 
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of Prayer on which the people of the United States may 
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 enti-
tled ‘‘An Act to provide for setting aside the first Thurs-
day 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 pre-
amble 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 vehi-
cle 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 heal-
ing and guidance.’’; 
Whereas as Representative Tony Hall stated on the day the 
vehicle that would become Public Law 100–307 passed 
the House, ‘‘This will help to bring more certainty to the 
scheduling of events related to the National Day of Pray-
er, and permit more effective long-range 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 con-
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sistent and dependable observance of the National Day of 
Prayer.’’; 
Whereas the United States has a long history of turning to 
prayer both in times of crisis and in times of thanks-
giving, 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 uncer-
tainty 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 ex-
tending 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 reli-
gious traditions and backgrounds to offer prayers today 
for all those harmed by Hurricane Harvey, including peo-
ple who have lost family members or been injured, those 
who have lost homes or other property, and our first re-
sponders, law enforcement officers, military personnel, 
and medical professionals leading the response and recov-
ery 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 
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we seek to uplift one another and assist those suffering 
from the consequences of this terrible storm.’’. 
(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 under-
water. I extend my most heartfelt sympathies to the peo-
ple 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 busi-
nesses, 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 Alexan-
dria, 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 dif-
ferent 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 mo-
ment 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 
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moment in this room—for us to be able to pray for 
a moment . . . .’’; 
(B) Minority Leader of the House of Represent-
atives Nancy Pelosi said on the floor of the House 
of Representatives, ‘‘You may not know this, my col-
leagues, but every time I pray, which is very fre-
quently, 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 Presi-
dent 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 col-
league and for his leadership.’’; and 
(C) Speaker of the House of Representatives 
Paul Ryan said on the floor of the House of Rep-
resentatives, ‘‘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 gath-
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ered in prayer this morning after hearing the news 
. . . So before this House returns to its business, 
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 hu-
manity. 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 Representa-
tives after being shot on a baseball field in Alexandria, 
Virginia, said on the floor of the House of Representa-
tives, ‘‘[W]hen I was laying out on that ball field, the 
first thing I did once I was down and couldn’t move any-
more 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 spe-
cific 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 underesti-
mate.’’. 
(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 hap-
pened 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 
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are praying for them now. I hope they will find strength 
in the love and kindness of those around them in these 
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 Amend-
ment. No single religious group can claim ownership or 
control of the National Day of Prayer; rather, it truly be-
longs 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 Rep-
resentatives; 
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 be-
come Public Law 100–307 passed the House of Rep-
resentatives, ‘‘A Nation in prayer has traditionally given 
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this great Republic of ours the efficacy required to sus-
tain it. A National Day of Prayer should be more than 
a mere commemorative occasion, it should be the spir-
itual 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 
Resolved, That the House— 
(1) recognizes the 30th anniversary of the Na-
tional Day of Prayer established under the Act enti-
tled ‘‘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), which was 
signed by President Ronald Reagan on May 5, 1988, 
and later codified as section 119 of title 36, United 
States Code; 
(2) encourages all people in the United States 
to reaffirm the importance prayer has played in the 
heritage of the United States; and 
(3) expresses support for the continued recogni-
tion each year of— 
(A) the National Day of Prayer; and 
(B) the importance that prayer and faith 
have played in the history of the United States. 
Æ 
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