Published: 06-28-07
State Representative Bill Zedler (R-Arlington) commented today that three significant bills passed in the recent legislative session but received little or no media attention.House Bill 1034 which Rep. Zedler co-authored added the words "under God" to the Texas Pledge. The new pledge reads "Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee Texas one state under God one and indivisible."
Dr. Benjamin Rush a signer of the Declaration of Independence advocated the first free public schools in our nation. In doing so he also warned the nation saying "If you remove the Bible from our classrooms there will be an explosion of crime." House Bill 1287 will help bring the Bible back into the classroom. This bill strengthens traditional values and local control in Texas by allowing an elective course on the Bible to be offered in Texas public schools if desired by the students and parents of the school district.
Rep. Zedler also co-authored House Bill 3687 which permits students to voluntarily express religious viewpoints in public schools to add to discussions on art literature science or other subjects in which the free expression of religious views had previously been excluded. This bill clarifies the boundaries of constitutional expression and provides school districts with clarity and protection under the law for permitting appropriate and voluntary student religious expression.
Rep. Zedler said "This new legislation is a great victory for religious freedom in Texas."
