,,iv #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #bej ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #f1 #bjac ,mr4 ,walberg 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,jones1 ,mr4 ,buchanan1 ,mr4 ,huelskamp1 ,mr4 ,broun of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,rahall1 ,mr4 ,gingrey of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,huizenga of ,michigan1 ,mr4 ,neugebauer1 ,mr4 ,thompson of ,pennsylvania1 ,mr4 ,lamborn1 ,mr4 ,ribble1 ,mr4 ,garrett1 ,mr4 ,wenstrup1 ,mr4 ,latta1 ,mr4 ,fleming1 ,mr4 ,posey1 ,mr4 ,pitts1 ,mr4 ,wolf1 ,mr4 ,bishop of ,utah1 ,mr4 ,forbes1 ,mr4 ,wilson of ,south ,carolina1 ,mr4 ,harper1 ,mr4 ,miller of ,florida1 ,mrs4 ,hartzler1 ,mrs4 ,walorski1 ,mr4 ,weber of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,carter1 ,mr4 ,sam ,johnson of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,hultgren1 ,mr4 ,franks of ,arizona1 ,mr4 ,coble1 ,mr4 ,king of ,iowa1 ,mr4 ,southerland1 ,mr4 ,graves of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,webster of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,harris1 ,mr4 ,roskam1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,ohio1 ,mr4 ,westmoreland1 ,mrs4 ,blackburn1 ,mr4 ,nunnelee1 ,mr4 ,roe of ,tennessee1 and ,mr4 ,scalise7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and the ,workforce1 and in addition to the ,committee on the ,judiciary1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 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 meetings4 ,whereas the freedom to practice religion and to express religious thought is a fundamental and unalienable right guaranteed under the ,united ,states ,constitution2 ,whereas the ,united ,states was founded on the principle of freedom of religion and not freedom from religion2 ,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 another1 and protect not prohibit the mention of religion or reference to ,god in civic dialogue2 ,whereas in #aihc the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states held in ,marsh v4 ,chambers1 #dfc ,u4,s4 #ghc1 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 society1 and invoking divine guidance on a public body entrusted with making the laws is not a violation of the ,establishment ,clause of the ,first ,amendment1 but rather is simply a tolerable acknowledgment of beliefs widely held among the people of the ,nation2 ,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 legislatures2 ,whereas school boards are deliberative public bodies of adults1 akin to a legislature1 in that they are predominantly elected by the people1 act in the public interest1 and hold sessions that are open to the public for voluntary attendance2 ,whereas the nature of school boards as deliberative public bodies1 akin to a legislature1 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 governance1 similar to statutes and ordinances enacted by ,federal1 ,state1 and other local deliberative public bodies to regulate the areas within their purview2 ,whereas the nature of school boards as deliberative public bodies1 akin to a legislature1 is not altered by the presence of students or any other group of observers1 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 purposes2 ,whereas the nature of school boards as deliberative public bodies1 akin to a legislature1 is not altered by the location at which they hold their sessions1 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 sessions2 ,whereas the nature of school boards as deliberative public bodies1 akin to a legislature1 is not altered by the subject matter of the deliberation1 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 matter2 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 society1 voluntary prayer acknowledges beliefs widely held among the people of the ,nation1 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 guidance3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 recognizes that school boards are deliberative public bodies1 and should be free to engage in prayer at the beginning of meetings2 7#b7 recognizes that school boards are deliberative public bodies1 and should be free to engage in prayer at the beginning of meetings consistent with the prayer practice upheld in ,marsh v4 ,chambers2 7#c7 recognizes that prayer before school board meetings is a protected act in accordance with the fundamental principles upon which the ,nation was founded2 and 7#d7 expresses support for the voluntary practice of prayer at the beginning of meetings of legislative bodies and other deliberative public bodies1 including school board meetings4