Summary as passed House: (all summaries) Prayer at public events. Provides that a deliberative public body, by ordinance, resolution, or written policy statement, may adopt a policy to permit a public invocation before each meeting of the public body, for the benefit of the public body. The policy may allow for an invocation to be offered on a voluntary basis, at the beginning of the meeting, by (i) a chaplain elected by the public officials of the deliberative public body or (ii) an invocation speaker selected on an objective and rotating basis from among a wide pool of the religious leaders serving established religious congregations in the local community in which the deliberative public body meets. The bill also defines deliberative body and public invocation. Full text:12/24/14 House: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/14/15 15100067D pdf 02/04/15 House: Committee substitute printed 15104618D-H1 pdf 02/09/15 House: Floor substitute printed 15104938D-H2 (Bell, Richard P.) pdf 02/09/15 House: Printed as engrossed 15104938D-EH2 pdf Amendments: House amendments House amendments rejected Status: 12/24/14 House: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/14/15 15100067D 12/24/14 House: Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice 01/13/15 House: Assigned Courts sub: Constitutional Law 01/30/15 House: Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (5-Y 3-N) 02/04/15 House: Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (13-Y 6-N) 02/04/15 House: Committee substitute printed 15104618D-H1 02/06/15 House: Read first time 02/09/15 House: Floor substitute printed 15104938D-H2 (Bell, Richard P.) 02/09/15 House: Read second time 02/09/15 House: Committee substitute rejected 15104618D-H1 02/09/15 House: Substitute by Delegate Bell, Richard P. agreed to15104938D-H2 02/09/15 House: Passed by temporarily 02/09/15 House: Amendment by Delegate Simon rejected 02/09/15 House: Amendments by Delegate Davis agreed to 02/09/15 House: Engrossed by House - floor substitute with amendments HB1437EH2 02/09/15 House: Printed as engrossed 15104938D-EH2 02/10/15 House: Read third time and passed House (69-Y 30-N) 02/10/15 House: VOTE: PASSAGE (69-Y 30-N) 02/11/15 Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed 02/11/15 Senate: Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology 02/23/15 Senate: Passed by indefinitely in General Laws and Technology (8-Y 7-N) |