Tristate congressmen hail passage of bill containing Ten Commandments Amendment

June 17, 2005

WASHINGTON, DC- U.S. Representatives from southern Indiana and Illinois today said they were pleased with House passage of a spending bill that prevents any federal funds from being used to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the Gibson County Courthouse lawn in Princeton.

"Our nation's Founders equipped each branch of government with the ability to check the others should they act in an unconstitutional manner," said U.S. Rep. John Hostettler (IN-8).

"The Founders certainly never intended for federal court rulings that violate Americans' rights to be blindly funded and enforced by the other two branches. The bill we passed today employs the Legislature's power of the purse to check a federal court that's attempting to turn a constitutional right into a constitutional prohibition."

Hostettler on Wednesday offered an amendment to legislation that funds the Justice Department that would prohibit federal funds from being used to enforce a January federal court decision that said the Ten Commandments monument in Princeton must be removed. The amendment passed comfortably with bipartisan support. The bill itself passed the House today.

"This court case is a waste of public resources," said Rep. Tim Johnson (IL-15). "It continues to puzzle me why in this land where the celebration of freedom of religion and free thought is a hallmark of our society why so much time has to be spent worrying whether one expression offends another."

"The erection of this monument is hardly the establishment of a state religion that the framers of our Constitution so eloquently cautioned us against. No one's forcing those principles on the public as a matter of law, though frankly they make pretty good public policy. The monument was a gift. It is a historical artifact, and like many others across the land, should be allowed to stand."

"The passage of this amendment highlights a mainstream belief that a few unelected judges should not be able to overturn the wishes of the President and the majority of 535 members of Congress," said Congressman Mike Sodrel (IN-9).