Georgia House of Representatives - 1995/1996 Sessions

HR 23 - Vol group prayer in classrooms; urge Congress to restore

Page Numbers - 1/ 2

1. Hembree  98th          2. Snelling  99th          3. Lewis  14th
4. Barnard  154th         5. Brown  130th


House Comm: Judy       /                Senate Comm:            /                                   
House Vote: Yeas       Nays             Senate Vote: Yeas     Nays                                  
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               House          Action         Senate                                                 
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              1/9/95   Read 1st Time                                                                
              1/10/95  Read 2nd Time                                                                
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Rules Suspended to Introduce                                                                        
                                                                                                    
Code Sections amended:                                                                              


HR 23                                             LC 22 1383






                             A RESOLUTION

  1- 1  Urging the Congress of the United States to take the action
  1- 2  necessary to restore voluntary group prayer to the nation's
  1- 3  classrooms; and for other purposes.

  1- 4  WHEREAS, some of the earliest Europeans to arrive on the
  1- 5  shores of the New World were seeking freedom from
  1- 6  persecution for their religious beliefs and practices, and
  1- 7  as a consequence this nation has developed a strong
  1- 8  tradition of valuing individual religious belief and
  1- 9  tolerance for a diversity of religious beliefs; and

  1-10  WHEREAS, for many years, public schools in Georgia and
  1-11  throughout the United States customarily paused for a few
  1-12  moments each day to recognize the importance of religious
  1-13  belief in the lives of students, faculty, and the fabric of
  1-14  our society; and

  1-15  WHEREAS, sharing the experience of prayer can serve to
  1-16  remind us of the traditional values of honesty, truth, and
  1-17  obedience to the law, as well as providing a perspective
  1-18  sorely needed in our crowded and hurried lives; and

  1-19  WHEREAS, the Congress of the United States and the Georgia
  1-20  General Assembly customarily open daily proceedings with a
  1-21  prayer; and

  1-22  WHEREAS, our coins bear the motto "In God We Trust" and the
  1-23  pledge of allegiance describes the United States of America
  1-24  as "One Nation Under God"; and

  1-25  WHEREAS, for nearly 30 years group prayer in public schools
  1-26  has been prohibited as an unconstitutional government
  1-27  establishment of religion; and

  1-28  WHEREAS, during the last three decades, the rate of crime,
  1-29  violence, and drug abuse among our young people has become a
  1-30  national tragedy, and it has become clear that many of our
  1-31  children are growing up without a sense of traditional
  1-32  values.

  1-33  NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF
  1-34  REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body urge the
  1-35  Congress of the United States to adopt an amendment to the



                                 -1- (Index)

                                                  LC 22 1383

  2- 1  United States Constitution which will permit voluntary group
  2- 2  prayers in public schools, while respecting the religious
  2- 3  diversity which helps to make this a great nation.

  2- 4  BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of
  2- 5  Representatives is authorized and directed to transmit an
  2- 6  appropriate copy of this resolution to the members of the
  2- 7  United States House of Representatives and the United States
  2- 8  Senate.








































                                 -2- (Index)