,,iii  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session 
,s4 ,,con4 ,,res4 #cd  ,,in ,,the       
,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states   
,january #ae1 #bjbj,mr4 ,daines 7for    
himself1 ,mr4 ,lankford1 ,mr4 ,blunt1   
,mrs4 ,blackburn1 ,mr4 ,rounds1 ,mr4    
,risch1 ,mr4 ,hawley1 ,mr4 ,cassidy1    
,mr4 ,tillis1 ,mr4 ,inhofe1 ,mr4        
,cotton1 ,mr4 ,braun1 ,mr4 ,cramer1 ,mr4
 ,scott of ,south ,carolina1 and ,mr4   
,scott of ,florida7 submitted the       
following concurrent resolution2 which  
was referred to the ,committee on the   
,judiciary  ,,concurrent ,,resolution   
,affirming the importance of religious  
freedom as a fundamental human right    
that is essential to a free society and 
protected for all people of the ,united 
,states under the ,constitution of the  
,united ,states1 and recognizing the    
#bcdth anniversary of the enactment of  
the ,virginia ,statute for ,religious   
,freedom4  ,whereas the democracy of the
 ,united ,states is rooted in the       
fundamental truth that all people are   

created equal1 endowed by the ,creator  
with certain inalienable rights1        
including life1 liberty1 and the pursuit
 of happiness2 ,whereas the freedom of  
conscience was highly valued by--  7#a7 
individuals seeking religious freedom   
who settled in the colonies in the      
,united ,states2  7#b7 the founders of  
the ,united ,states2 and  7#c7 ,thomas  
,jefferson1 who wrote in a letter to the
 ,society of the ,methodist ,episcopal  
,church at ,new ,london1 ,connecticut1  
dated ,february #d1 #ahji1 that no      
provision in our ,constitution ought to 
be dearer to man than that which        
protects the rights of conscience       
against the enterprizes of the civil    
authority2  ,whereas the ,virginia      
,statute for ,religious ,freedom was--  
7#a7 drafted by ,thomas ,jefferson1 who 
considered the ,virginia ,statute for   
,religious ,freedom to be one of his    
greatest achievements2  7#b7 enacted on 
,january #af1 #aghf2 and  7#c7 the      
forerunner to the ,free ,exercise       

,clause of the ,first ,amendment to the 
,constitution of the ,united ,states2   
,whereas section #b7;a7 of the          
,international ,religious ,freedom ,act 
of #aiih 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #fdja7;a77      
states that--  7#a7 the right to freedom
 of religion undergirds the very origin 
and existence of the ,united ,states2   
and  7#b7 religious freedom was         
established by the founders of the      
,united ,states in law1 as a fundamental
 right and as a pillar of our ,nation2  
,whereas the role of religion in society
 and public life in the ,united ,states 
has a long and robust tradition2        
,whereas individuals who have studied   
the democracy of the ,united ,states    
from an international perspective1 such 
as ,alexis de ,tocqueville1 have noted  
that religion plays a central role in   
preserving the ,government of the       
,united ,states because religion        
provides the moral base required for    
democracy to succeed2 ,whereas1 in ,town
 of ,greece v4 ,galloway1 #acd ,s4 ,ct4 

#ahaa 7#bjad71 the ,supreme ,court of   
the ,united ,states affirmed that people
 of many faiths may be united in a      
community of tolerance and devotion2    
,whereas the principle of religious     
freedom has guided our ,nation forward1 
as expressed by the #ddth ,president of 
the ,united ,states in a ,presidential  
proclamation on ,religious ,freedom ,day
 in #bjaa1 and freedom of religion is a 
universal human right to be protected   
here at home and across the globe1 as   
expressed by that ,president of the     
,united ,states on ,religious ,freedom  
,day in #bjac2 ,whereas freedom of      
religion is a fundamental human right   
that must be upheld by every nation and 
guaranteed by every government1 as      
expressed by the #dbnd ,president of the
 ,united ,states in a ,presidential     
proclamation on ,religious ,freedom ,day
 in #aiii2 ,whereas the ,first          
,amendment to the ,constitution of the  
,united ,states protects-- 7#a7 the     
right of individuals to freely express  

and act on the religious beliefs of     
those individuals2 and  7#b7 individuals
 from coercion to profess or act on a   
religious belief to which those         
individuals do not adhere2  ,whereas our
 laws and institutions should not impede
 or hinder but rather should protect and
 preserve fundamental religious         
liberties1 as expressed by the #dbnd    
,president of the ,united ,states in    
remarks accompanying the signing of the 
,religious ,freedom ,restoration ,act of
 #aiic 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bjjj;bb et seq472
 ,whereas1 for countless people of the  
,united ,states1 faith is an integral   
part of every aspect of daily life and  
is not limited to the homes1 houses of  
worship1 or doctrinal creeds of those   
individuals2 ,whereas religious faith   
has inspired many of our fellow citizens
 to help build a better ,nation in which
 people of faith continue to wage a     
determined campaign to meet needs and   
fight suffering1 as expressed by the    
#dcrd ,president of the ,united ,states 

in a ,presidential proclamation on      
,religious ,freedom ,day in #bjjc2      
,whereas1 from its birth to this day1   
the ,united ,states has prized this     
legacy of religious freedom and honored 
this heritage by standing for religious 
freedom and offering refuge to those    
suffering religious persecution1 as     
noted in section #b7;a7 of the          
,international ,religious ,freedom ,act 
of #aiih 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #fdja7;a772     
,whereas ,thomas ,jefferson wrote-- 7#a7
 in #agih that each right encompassed in
 the ,first ,amendment to the           
,constitution of the ,united ,states is 
dependent on the other rights described 
in that ,amendment1 thereby guarding in 
the same sentence1 and under the same   
words1 the freedom of religion1 of      
speech1 and of the press3 insomuch1 that
 whatever violated either1 throws down  
the sanctuary which covers the others2  
and  7#b7 in #ahbb that the             
constitutional freedom of religion is   
the most inalienable and sacred of all  

human rights2 ,whereas religious freedom
 has been integral to the preservation  
and development of the ,united ,states1 
and the free exercise of religion goes  
hand in hand with the preservation of   
our other rights1 as expressed by the   
#dast ,president of the ,united ,states 
in a ,presidential proclamation on      
,religious ,freedom ,day in #aiic2 and  
,whereas we continue to proclaim the    
fundamental right of all peoples to     
believe and worship according to their  
own conscience1 to affirm their beliefs 
openly and freely1 and to practice their
 faith without fear or intimidation1 as 
expressed by the #dbnd ,president of the
 ,united ,states in a ,presidential     
proclamation on ,religious ,freedom ,day
 in #aiih3 ,now1 therefore1 be it  ,that
 ,congress-- 7#a7 on ,religious ,freedom
 ,day on ,january #af1 #bjbj1 honors the
 #bcdth anniversary of the enactment of 
the ,virginia ,statute for ,religious   
,freedom2 and  7#b7 affirms that-- 7,a7 
for individuals of any faith and        

individuals of no faith1 religious      
freedom includes the right of an        
individual to live1 work1 associate1 and
 worship in accordance with the beliefs 
of the individual2  7,b7 all people of  
the ,united ,states can be unified in   
supporting religious freedom1 regardless
 of differing individual beliefs1       
because religious freedom is a          
fundamental human right2 and  7,c7 the  
,american people will remain forever    
unshackled in matters of faith1 as      
expressed by the #ddth ,president of the
 ,united ,states in a ,presidential     
proclamation on ,religious ,freedom ,day
 in #bjab4