Gop Chides Gingrich On Prayer

Ninety-two House members, most of them Republicans, called on Speaker Newt Gingrich on Thursday to keep his pledge to allow a vote this year on a school-prayer amendment to the Constitution.

“A constant theme of the new Congress has been ‘promises made, promises kept,”’ said Rep. Ernest Istook, R-Okla., who originated the letter. “But our record of keeping commitments is in jeopardy if the promise for the school-prayer vote is not honored.”

Istook, sponsor of one version of the prayer amendment, noted that Gingrich had promised on several occasions that a House vote would occur this session. But with only about three weeks of this year’s session left, neither Gingrich, R-Ga., nor Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, has offered to schedule a vote.

The amendment would overturn 30 years of court rulings. However, the Supreme Court has never ruled that a student has no right to pray in school.

Under the amendment, no state could prohibit student-initiated and student-led prayer.