,,iii  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #aa  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of
 ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,january #bc  
7legislative day1 ,january #c71 #bjac   
,mr4 ,vitter submitted the following    
resolution2 which was referred to the   
,committee on ,health1 ,education1      
,labor1 and ,pensions  ,,resolution     
,expressing support for prayer at school
 board meetings4  ,whereas the freedom  
to practice religion and to express     
religious thought is acknowledged to be 
a fundamental and unalienable right     
belonging to all individuals2 ,whereas  
the ,united ,states was founded on the  
principle of freedom of religion and not
 freedom from religion2 ,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 another1 not
 that the ,first ,amendment to the      
,constitution would prohibit any mention

 of religion or reference to ,god in    
civic dialogue2 ,whereas1 in #aihc1 the 
,supreme ,court held in ,marsh v4       
,chambers1 #dfc ,u4,s4 #ghc1 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         
,constitution1 but rather is simply a   
tolerable acknowledgment of beliefs     
widely held among the people of the     
,united ,states2 ,whereas voluntary     
prayer by elected bodies should not be  
limited to prayer in ,state legislatures
 and ,congress2 ,whereas school boards  
are deliberative bodies of adults1      
similar to a legislature in that they   
are elected by the people1 act in the   
public interest1 and hold sessions that 
are open to the public for voluntary    
attendance2 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      
society1 voluntary prayer acknowledges  
beliefs widely held among the people of 
the ,united ,states1 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 guidance3 ,now1 therefore1
 be it  ,that the ,senate--  7#a7       
recognizes that prayer before school    
board meetings is a protected act in    
accordance with the fundamental         
principles upon which the ,united       
,states was founded2 and  7#b7 expresses
 support for the practice of prayer at  
the beginning of school board meetings4