Last update:

10/19/2003

April 2003           Issue #97

Religious Right Agenda in Legislature

• The House Public Education Committee approved by 5-3 a bill (HB 2465) mandating a private school voucher program in certain Texas school districts.  In our area, Houston, Pasadena, and Alief ISD would be included.  Houston-area committee members Harold Dutton (D-Houston) and Rob Eissler (R-The Woodlands) voted for the bill, while Glenda Dawson (R-Pearland) and Rep. Scott Hochberg (D-Houston) voted against it.

• The Senate adopted a bill (SB 83) requiring that public school students recite daily the pledges of allegiance to the U.S. and Texas flags and then observe a minute of silence, during which they may reflect, pray, mediate or engage in any other nondisruptive silent activity.  A House committee has approved a similar bill (HB 793).  The Texas Eagle Forum supports this bill because “research has clearly shown the decline of school discipline and even test scores since the judicial activist decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that rejected school prayer and Bible reading that were historical mainstays in public school classrooms across America.  While this bill would not return prayer and Bible reading, it would be a step in the right direction.”

• House and Senate committees passed the Defense of Marriage Act (HB 38 and SB 7), which would bar state recognition of a same-sex marriage or civil union.  This is a top priority for the religious right.  According to the Free Market Foundation, many attribute its swift progression in the Senate to Lt. Governor Dewhurst’s making it a top priority of his.

• Bills banning human cloning (HB 1175), regulating “informed consent” for abortions (HB 15), and creating legal penalties for a person who harms or kills a fetus (HB 246, dubbed the “Prenatal Protection Act) passed out of House committees.  Companion bills (SB 156, 835, and 319) are pending in Senate committees.

Religious Right Agenda in Congress

• Congressman Ernest Istook (R-OK), with Sanford Bishop (D-GA), has introduced the “Pledge and Prayer Amendment” to the U.S. Constitution (H.J. Res. 46).  It reads: “To secure the people’s right to acknowledge God according to the dictates of conscience:  --The people retain the right to pray and to recognize their religious beliefs, heritage, and traditions on public property, including schools.  --The United States and the States shall not establish any official religion nor require any person to join in prayer or religious activity.”  The amendment would permit prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and display of the Ten Commandments on public property.  Opponents charge that it would also allow public schools to sponsor religious worship.  Istook has introduced a similar amendment since 1995.  In 1998, a majority voted for it but not the 2/3rds required for a constitutional amendment.

• The Senate adopted the Charity Aid, Recovery, and Empowerment Act of 2003 or CARE Act (S. 476) by 95-5 after Sen. Santorum, the chief Senate sponsor of Pres. Bush’s faith-based plan, agreed to the removal of provisions exempting religious social service providers from anti-discrimination laws and allowed the funding of social service programs at sites where religious icons and texts are displayed.  The act adopted mainly creates tax incentives to encourage charitable giving.  The bill approved by the House in 2001 had the omitted provisions.  Santorum pledged to oppose any attempt by the House leadership to include the discrimination section in a final bill.  He also vowed, however, to push to include the provisions in welfare reform legislation.  The director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives noted that Bush has already implemented the provisions through executive orders.

• The first bill filed by freshman Rep. John Carter of Round Rock is a constitutional amendment stating, “A law that prescribes the Pledge of Allegiance or provides for United States coins or currency is not a law respecting an establishment of religion because it refers to God in the Pledge or includes a reference to God on coins or currency.”  H. J. RES. 39 does not have any cosponsors yet.  Louisiana Sen. Landrieu introduced a similar amendment as S. J. RES. 7.

• The religious right is criticizing a bill adopted by a House committee to provide assistance to foreign countries to combat HIV/AIDS (H.R.1298).  They complain that, among other things, it does not emphasize abstinence over condoms and it allocates $1 billion for the Global AIDS Fund, a UN group.

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