Full Text of HR0495 103rd General Assembly
HR0495 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | | | HR0495 | | LRB103 35211 LAW 65192 r |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION | 2 | | WHEREAS, Faith in God is an inalienable right to all of | 3 | | those who believe in the teachings of a higher being; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, Our Founding Fathers understood the importance of | 5 | | faith in God when writing the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing | 6 | | the freedom of religion for all citizens; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Abraham Lincoln immortalized the phrase "this | 8 | | nation, under God" in the Gettysburg Address, enshrining our | 9 | | nation during its darkest moment in "a new birth of freedom"; | 10 | | and | 11 | | WHEREAS, Prayer has always played an important role in the | 12 | | foundation of the American way of life and has helped form the | 13 | | solid basis of cultural harmony and civility, which is evident | 14 | | in The Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. flag and on our | 15 | | currency; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, Knowing of the cultural and spiritual harmony | 17 | | that faith brings to all who believe, it should be this | 18 | | chamber's responsibility to again provide a room of worship to | 19 | | General Assembly members, guests, and visitors of the Illinois | 20 | | State Capitol Building; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, In 1985, then-Speaker Michael J. Madigan | 2 | | introduced HR 408, which designated a room as a prayer room on | 3 | | the first floor of the State Capitol Building; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, Throughout the ensuing years, the prayer room was | 5 | | utilized by various General Assembly members, regardless of | 6 | | their philosophical, political, or religious differences, who | 7 | | sought a place where worship was welcomed; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, Sadly, the prayer room was removed during a | 9 | | renovation of the West Wing, and a new prayer room was never | 10 | | designated nor established; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, Without a dedicated room of worship, our State | 12 | | Capitol Building is similar to most state capitol buildings; | 13 | | in fact, in the Midwest, the only state to have a dedicated | 14 | | room of worship in its capitol building is the State of | 15 | | Indiana; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, In the U.S. Capitol Building, a room set apart | 17 | | for prayer and meditation is near the rotunda to be used | 18 | | primarily by members of Congress who wish to withdraw and seek | 19 | | divine strength and guidance, both in public affairs and in | 20 | | their own personal matters; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, The U.S. Capitol Building's prayer room was |
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| 1 | | established during the 83rd Congress of the United States, | 2 | | pursuant to U.S. House Concurrent Resolution 60 in 1953 and | 3 | | U.S. Senate Concurrent Resolution 14 in 1954; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, The legality of a prayer room in the State | 5 | | Capitol Building was previously justified through the 1988 | 6 | | court case decision of Van Zandt v. Thompson in the 7th Circuit | 7 | | of the U.S. Court of Appeals and within the Illinois State | 8 | | Constitution, thereby reiterating that no there is no legal | 9 | | jeopardy and that the establishment clause has not been | 10 | | violated; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, The Preamble of the Constitution of the State of | 12 | | Illinois reads, "We, the People of the State of Illinois - | 13 | | grateful to the Almighty God for the civil, political and | 14 | | religious liberty which He has permitted us to enjoy and | 15 | | seeking His blessing upon our endeavors," further setting the | 16 | | stage for such a room; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, The establishment of such a room, because of its | 18 | | universality, is within the provisions of Section 3 of Article | 19 | | X of the Illinois State Constitution, where the use of public | 20 | | funds for sectarian purposes is forbidden in that no state | 21 | | funds shall be allocated for "anything in aid of any church or | 22 | | sectarian purpose"; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, The concept is consistent with the provisions of | 2 | | subsection (a) of Section 1 of Article VIII of the Illinois | 3 | | State Constitution, which provides that "Public funds, | 4 | | property or credit shall be used only for public purposes", as | 5 | | the facility will be made available to the people of the State | 6 | | of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Both the Illinois House and Senate routinely open | 8 | | all Sessions with prayer by a diverse group of faith leaders | 9 | | and pastors from across Illinois; therefore, be it | 10 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 11 | | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 12 | | we request the reestablishment of a prayer room at the | 13 | | Illinois State Capitol Building near the rotunda in the | 14 | | current and ongoing renovations of the North Wing. |
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