To the Honorable Members of the
Illinois Senate
95th General Assembly
Pursuant to Article IV, Section 9(b) of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby veto Senate Bill 1463, entitled AN ACT concerning education.
Prayer plays an important part in the lives of many people. It certainly does in mine. I believe in prayer. I believe in the power of prayer. I also believe that our founding fathers wisely recognized the personal nature of faith and prayer, and that is why the separation of church and state is a centerpiece of our constitution, our democracy and our freedoms.
The law in Illinois today already allows teachers and students the opportunity to take a moment for silent thought or prayer, if they chose to. I believe this is the right balance between the principles echoed in our constitution, and our deeply held desire to practice our faith. As a parent, I am working with my wife to raise our children to respect prayer and to pray because they want to pray not because they are required to.
For this reason, I hereby veto and return Senate Bill 1463.
Sincerely,
ROD R. BLAGOJEVICH
Governor