Posted by
Team Turk on Friday, September 29, 2006 5:57:20 PM
GOP USA denotes
public expression victory.
Conservative groups are commending the U.S. House of Representatives for passing a bill on Tuesday that would cut off financial awards for lawsuits successfully filed against religious displays on government property.
The Public Expressions of Religion Act (PERA) (H.R. 2679) would deny the awarding of attorney's fees or monetary damages to a party that wins an Establishment Clause court case -- that is, one based on the so-called "separation of church and state." Backers of the legislation note that local and state governments often give in to demands to remove religious displays for fear of incurring costly attorney's fees. Opponents, on the other hand, consider the legislation a waste of time by Republicans who they say are anxious to shore up their conservative base before Election Day. They also note there is no companion Senate bill.
But Concerned Women for America, a major pro-family group in Washington, DC, is praising the 244 House members who voted in favor of PERA, calling the vote "a tremendous victory for Americans who value their constitutional and religious freedoms." Eliminating monetary awards in Establishment Clause cases, says CWA, will free up citizens who are often reluctant to stand up for those freedoms because they are intimidated by the potential of "crippling judgments" for attorney's fees.