,,iv  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #ccd  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of
 ,,representatives  ,april #cj1         
#bjai,mr4 ,loudermilk 7for himself1 ,mr4
 ,weber of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,aderholt1 ,mr4 
,mooney of ,west ,virginia1 ,mr4 ,cole1 
,mr4 ,ratcliffe1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,ohio1
 ,mr4 ,carter of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,walker1
 ,mr4 ,bacon1 ,mr4 ,kelly of            
,pennsylvania1 ,mr4 ,abraham1 ,mr4 ,king
 of ,iowa1 ,mr4 ,meadows1 ,mr4          
,marshall1 ,mr4 ,wright1 ,mr4 ,johnson  
of ,louisiana1 ,mr4 ,estes1 ,mr4        
,woodall1 ,mr4 ,hice of ,georgia1 ,mr4  
,babin1 ,mr4 ,norman1 ,mr4 ,emmer1 ,mr4 
,lamborn1 ,mr4 ,hunter1 ,mr4 ,timmons1  
and ,mr4 ,wittman7 submitted the        
following resolution2 which was referred
 to the ,committee on ,oversight and    
,reform  ,,resolution  ,recognizing ,may
 #b1 #bjai1 as the #cast 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  
celebrated1 approved ,may #e1 #aihh1    
which was signed by ,president ,ronald  
,reagan on ,may #e1 #aihh4  ,whereas    
section #aai of title #cf1 ,united      
,states ,code1 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 turn to ,god in     
prayer and meditation at churches1 in   
groups1 and as individuals42 ,whereas1  
,may #b1 #bjai1 marks the #cast         
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 celebrated1 approved ,may #e1
 #aihh 7,public ,law #ajj-cjg2 #ajb     
,stat4 #def7 7referred to in this       
preamble as ,public ,law #ajj-cjg71     
which was signed by ,president ,ronald  
,reagan on ,may #e1 #aihh1 and later    

codified as section #aai of title #cf1  
,united ,states ,code2 ,whereas1 as     
,senator ,jesse ,helms stated on the day
 the vehicle that would become ,public  
,law #ajj-cjg passed the ,senate--  7#a7
 ,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  
certainty42 and  7#b7 ,the magnitude of 
,america's problems1 within and without 
the country1 evidence a need for divine 
healing and guidance42  ,whereas1 as    
,representative ,tony ,hall stated on   
the day the vehicle that would become   
,public ,law #ajj-cjg passed the ,house 
of ,representatives1 ,this will help to 
bring more certainty to the scheduling  
of events related to the ,national ,day 
of ,prayer1 and permit more effective   
long-range planning4 ,for the past #g   
years1 the day has been observed in     
,may1 but before this period it was     

observed at different times of the year4
 ,clarifying legislation is needed to   
ensure consistent and dependable        
observance of the ,national ,day of     
,prayer42 ,whereas both the ,senate and 
,house of ,representatives have a long  
tradition of opening their daily        
legislative sessions with prayer1 which 
was most recently upheld once again in  
,barker v4 ,conroy when ,judge ,david   
,s4 ,tatel wrote for the ,court1        
,although the ,court has warned against 
discriminating among religions or       
tolerating a pattern of prayers that    
proselytize or disparage certain faiths 
or beliefs1 it has never suggested that 
legislatures must allow secular as well 
as religious prayer4 ,in the sui generis
 context of legislative prayer1 then1   
the ,house does not violate the         
,establishment ,clause by limiting its  
opening prayer to religious prayer42    
,whereas the ,united ,states has a long 
history of turning to prayer both in    
times of crisis and in times of         

thanksgiving1 as demonstrated on the    
following occasions3  7#a7 ,president   
,barack ,obama stated in ,presidential  
,proclamation ,no4 #idda of ,may #d1    
#bjaf 7#ha ,fed4 ,reg4 #bgihc71 ,in     
times of steady calm and extraordinary  
change alike1 ,americans of all walks of
 life have long turned to prayer to seek
 refuge1 demonstrate gratitude1 and     
discover peace4 ,sustaining us through  
great uncertainty and moments of sorrow1
 prayer allows us an outlet for         
introspection1 and for expressing our   
hopes1 desires1 and fears4 ,it offers   
strength in the face of hardship1 and   
redemption when we falter4 ,our country 
was founded on the idea of religious    
freedom1 and we have long upheld the    
belief that how we pray and whether we  
pray are matters reserved for an        
individual's own conscience4 ,on        
,national ,day of ,prayer1 we rededicate
 ourselves to extending this freedom to 
all people44  7#b7 ,president ,donald   
,trump stated in ,presidential          

,proclamation ,no4 #igda of ,may #c1    
#bjah 7#hc ,fed4 ,reg4 #bjgac71 ,as a   
,nation1 we have continued to seek ,god 
in prayer1 including in times of        
conflict and darkness4 ,at the height of
 ,world ,war ,,ii1 ,president ,franklin 
,d4 ,roosevelt called for prayer for the
 vision to see our way clearly to see   
the way that leads to a better life for 
ourselves and for all our fellow men and
 to the achievement of ,his will to     
peace on earth4 ,decades later1         
following one of the darkest days in our
 ,nation's history1 ,president ,george  
,w4 ,bush offered this prayer for our   
heartbroken country1 mourning the       
precious souls who perished in the      
terrorist attacks on ,september #aa1    
#bjja3 ,we ask ,almighty ,god to watch  
over our ,nation1 and grant us patience 
and resolve in all that is to come4 ,we 
pray that ,he will comfort and console  
those who now walk in sorrow4 ,we thank 
,him for each life we now must mourn1   
and the promise of a life to come4      

,america has known peace1 prosperity1   
war1 and depression and prayer has      
sustained us through it all4 ,may our   
,nation and our people never forget the 
love1 grace1 and goodness of our ,maker1
 and may our praise and gratitude never 
cease4 ,on this ,national ,day of       
,prayer1 let us come together1 all      
according to their faiths1 to thank ,god
 for ,his many blessings and ask for    
,his continued guidance and strength444 
7#c7 ,on ,june #ad1 #bjag1 after the    
shooting in ,alexandria1 ,virginia--    
7,a7 ,senator ,james ,lankford said in a
 prayer on the floor of the ,senate1 ,as
 ,i have walked through the hallways    
heading back and forth to different     
meetings1 ,i have been interested to see
 many doors that ,i have walked by1 and 
when those doors were open1 ,i could    
hear people inside praying4 ,there have 
been at least three organized prayer    
meetings on the ,hill today1            
specifically related just to that1 and  
others spontaneously occurring4 ,just   

for a moment we have the opportunity to 
be able to reflect and say to ,god3     
,thank ,you so much for protecting the  
people on that field4 ,thank you again  
to the ,capitol ,police1 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 ''' 42  7,b7 ,minority ,leader
 of the ,house of ,representatives      
,nancy ,pelosi said on the floor of the 
,house of ,representatives1 ,you may not
 know this1 my colleagues1 but every    
time ,i pray1 which is very frequently1 
and certainly every ,sunday1 ,i pray for
 all of you1 all of you together4 ,in   
the earlier years1 ,i used to pray for  
your happiness1 for the fact that we    
would1 working together1 heed the words 
of ,president ,kennedy in the closing of
 his inaugural address when he said3 '''
 ,god's work must truly be our own4 ,how

 do we view what ,god's will is for us8 
,how do we come together to give        
confidence to the ,american people8 ,as 
our ,founders intended1 we would have   
our disagreements and we would debate   
them1 and we would have confidence in   
our beliefs and humility to listen to   
others4 ,but in more recent years1 ,i   
have been praying not only for that1 but
 for our safety ''' ,my prayer is that  
we can resolve our differences in a way 
that furthers the preamble to the       
,constitution1 takes us closer to e     
pluribus unum4 ,and today1 again1 it is 
in the family4 ,it is an injury in the  
family for the staff and for our        
colleague and for his leadership42 and  
7,c7 ,speaker of the ,house of          
,representatives ,paul ,ryan said on the
 floor of the ,house of                 
,representatives1 ,my colleagues1 there 
are so many memories from this day that 
we will want to forget1 and there are so
 many images that we will not want to   
see again4 ,but there is one image in   

particular that this ,house should keep1
 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 business1 let's just slow down  
and reflect to think about how we are   
all being tested right now1 because we  
are being tested right now4 ,i ask each 
of you to join me to resolve to come    
together1 to lift each other up1 and to 
show the country1 to show the world1    
that we are one ,house1 the people's    
,house1 united in our humanity4 ,it is  
that humanity which will win the day1   
and it always will4 ,god bless44  7#d7  
,on ,september #bh1 #bjag1              
,representative ,steve ,scalise1 marking
 his return to the ,house of            
,representatives after being shot on a  
baseball field in ,alexandria1          
,virginia1 said on the floor of the     
,house of ,representatives1 ,when ,i was
 laying out on that ball field1 the     
first thing ,i did once ,i was down and 

couldn't move anymore is ,i just started
 to pray4 ,and ,i'll tell you it gave me
 an unbelievable sense of calm knowing  
that at that point it was in ,god's     
hands4 ,but ,i prayed for very specific 
things1 and ,i will tell you pretty much
 every one of those prayers was         
answered1 and they were some pretty     
challenging prayers ,i was putting in   
,god's hands4 ,he really did deliver for
 me and my family4 ,and it just gives   
you that renewed faith and understanding
 that the power of prayer is something  
that you just cannot underestimate44    
7#e7 ,on ,june #ah1 #bjae1 after the    
shooting at ,emanuel ,african ,methodist
 ,episcopal ,church in ,charleston1     
,south ,carolina1 ,senate ,minority     
,leader ,harry ,reid said on the floor  
of the ,senate1 ,the thought of people  
who were in a house of worship being    
gunned down as they gathered to pray is 
heart wrenching1 devastating and is an  
ultimate act of cowardice and hatred4   
,as our good chaplain said1 our hearts  

go out to the families and friends1 the 
people who are gunned down in that      
church4 ,it's hard for me to comprehend 
anything so awful4 ,so on the behalf of 
the ,senate family1 we send our support1
 our sympathy '''2  ,whereas ,congress  
joined the people of the ,united ,states
 to pray for the victims and families of
 the following tragedies at ,marjory    
,stoneman ,douglas ,high ,school in     
,parkland1 ,florida1 on ,february #ad1  
#bjah2 ,santa ,fe ,high ,school in      
,santa ,fe1 ,texas1 on ,may #ah1 #bjah2 
,borderline ,bar and ,grill in ,thousand
 ,oaks1 ,california1 on ,november #g1   
#bjah2 and ,pulse nightclub in ,orlando1
 ,florida1 on ,june #ab1 #bjaf2 ,whereas
 the people of the ,united ,states      
condemned the horrific1 anti-,semitic   
attack on the ,tree of ,life synagogue  
in ,pittsburgh1 ,pennsylvania1 on       
,october #bg1 #bjah1 and express support
 and prayers for all those affected by  
this tragedy2 ,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        
,states2 ,whereas the ,national ,day of 
,prayer-- 7#a7 is consistent with the   
,establishment ,clause of the ,first    
,amendment to the ,constitution of the  
,united ,states2  7#b7 belongs to all   
people in the ,united ,states2 and  7#c7
 is very much in keeping with the       
pluralistic spirit of the ,establishment
 ,clause of the ,first ,amendment4 ,no  
single religious group can claim        
ownership or control of the ,national   
,day of ,prayer2 rather1 it truly       
belongs to all ,americans who seek      
divine guidance for themselves and for  
the country1 as ,representative ,mervyn 
,dymally noted on the day the vehicle   
that would become ,public ,law #ajj-cjg 
passed the ,house of ,representatives2  
,whereas calling for prayer in times of 
crisis and thanksgiving creates a sense 
of unity in the ,united ,states1 and1 as
 ,president ,ronald ,reagan noted in a  

radio address in #aihb1 ,prayer is one  
of the few things in this world that    
hurts no one and sustains the spirit of 
millions42 and ,whereas declaring a     
,national ,day of ,prayer sets the      
,united ,states apart as a country1 and1
 as ,representative ,william ,dannemeyer
 noted on the day the vehicle that would
 become ,public ,law #ajj-cjg passed the
 ,house of ,representatives1 ,a ,nation 
in prayer has traditionally given this  
great ,republic of ours the efficacy    
required to sustain it4 ,a ,national    
,day of ,prayer should be more than a   
mere commemorative occasion1 it should  
be the spiritual sustenance that sets   
,america apart from the rest of the     
world1 the difference between freedom   
under ,god or slavery under the rule of 
men43 ,now1 therefore1 be it  ,that the 
,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7       
recognizes ,may #b1 #bjai1 as 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        
celebrated1 approved ,may #e1 #aihh     
7,public ,law #ajj-cjg2 #ajb ,stat4     
#def71 which was signed by ,president   
,ronald ,reagan on ,may #e1 #aihh1 and  
later codified as section #aai of title 
#cf1 ,united ,states ,code2  7#b7       
encourages all people in the ,united    
,states to reaffirm the importance      
prayer has played in the heritage of the
 ,united ,states2 and  7#c7 expresses   
support for the continued recognition   
each year of-- 7,a7 the ,national ,day  
of ,prayer2 and  7,b7 the importance    
that prayer and faith have played in the
 history of the ,united ,states4