LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

A bill meant to eliminate attorney fees in legal cases where government violated the constitutional separation of church and state is up for a House vote today. According to American Atheists , this is what the Public Expression of Religion Act does:

The bill, H.R. 2679, introduced by Rep. John Hostettler (R-IN) would amend a section of the United States Code and eliminate attorney fees in legal cases where government violated the constitutional separation of church and state. PERA is part of a battery of proposed legislative items dubbed “The American Values Agenda.” This includes measure to protect “unborn children,” ban cloning and penalize legal challenges to violations of the First Amendment’s establishment clause.

# PERA lowers the penalty bar when government is caught in flagrant violation of the Establishment Clause.

# The bill penalizes attorneys and organizations that defend the separation of church and state, but does nothing to prevent political leaders from draining the public treasury to defend unconstitutional practices in court.

# This legislation has nothing whatsoever to do with legitimate religious expression. It is all about government sponsorship and promotion of religion.

This was part of a slate of items that the Religious Right hopes to accomplish before the election. This bill should not be allowed to pass the House.