SECOND REGULAR SESSION

House Concurrent Resolution No. 19

91ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY



2535L.01I

Whereas, many citizens have found the reasoning behind and the practical results of court decisions relating to school prayer difficult to understand since the 1962 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Engel v. Vitale; and



Whereas, current Gallup polls indicate that as recently as August 2001, seventy-eight percent of those polled favored a constitutional amendment to allow voluntary prayer in public schools; and



Whereas, the 107th Congress currently has before it two House Joint Resolutions and a Senate Joint Resolution that propose an amendment to the United States Constitution to permit voluntary school prayer; and



Whereas, all three Joint Resolutions have been referred to committee and then to subcommittee and are not currently being actively considered; and



Whereas, with a clear majority of people in favor of such an amendment, the United States Congress should be moving with deliberate speed to consider the matter, especially given the events of September 11, 2001:



Now, therefore, be it resolved that the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninety-first General Assembly, Second Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, hereby urge the 107th Congress to take up and pass the proposed amendment to the United States Constitution that would permit voluntary prayer in public school before their break in late summer 2002; and



Be it further resolved that the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House of Representatives be instructed to prepare a properly inscribed copy of this resolution for each member of the Missouri Congressional delegation.


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