Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
The question always is where can you pray? Is the
public school a safe place to pray? And it hasn't been,
and it hasn't been for a long long time. But
there's a bill, or at least I think there's a
couple of bills actually in front of the Texas State
legislature that would change that. State Representative David Speller had sponsored.
I think two of these bills. Let me make sure
I got the right bills here, too. Representative is one
(00:23):
of them fourteen twenty five. House Bill fourteen twenty five, Yes.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Fourteen twenty five is the one that provides for prayer
in schools and in the also carrying HB twenty one sixteen,
which provides for the team commandments in the classroom.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Okay, it should be pointed out here's what House Bill
fourteen twenty five would do. It would allow school districts
and charter schools to offer a period for prayer and
reading religious texts. Would not require students or employees to participate,
would require students to bring a consent form I assume
that is if they want to participate, and would allow
(00:59):
parents revoke a students consent. So you put all the
safeguards in there, right, So this is this is not
mandatory by any stretch of the imagination. This is completely
a voluntary program, exactly.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Not at all. No one should have any problem with
HB fourteen twenty five because number one from a local
school district standpoint, and I know because I've been on
a local school district board of trustees for many years
before I got the legislature, and we always talk about hey,
local control, local control. Well, this is purely local control.
(01:35):
The board would have a vote a resolution to either
adopt or not adopt a resolution to provide this opportunity
for students and faculty, by the way, and if so,
then they would implement that. But the only way that
anyone participates is if they sign a consent for him.
And there's some safeguards that those students while this is
(01:55):
going on that they're not in the same area within
hearing distance of that. So anyone that doesn't opt in
is not affected anyone other than just the benefit that
they received from that each day would not otherwise be affected.
As for as anything that relates to.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
The classroom, Well, you said a moment ago, and you're right,
by the way, nobody should object. But somebody always does unfortunately,
So I guess the question. I'm sure, I'm sure you've
heard from some other members of the state legislature who
object to your bill. What are their objections, what are
they concerned about? I don't know.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
I really haven't heard from other members yet. It's a
relative a new bill, and we're just getting started down here,
and so we haven't taken up in these bills and
committee are in the House. Our committees have not yet
been formed. It's hard to together and organize and put
one hundred and fifty people on multiple committees and get
that put together. I expect that that may be done
(02:52):
before the end of the week, especially except the emergency atoms.
The governor have it laid out yesterday. So I haven't
heard from that many other men other than other Republican
members that have been very, very supportive. More of the
controversy comes on the UH on the King Commandmentsville. But
but nonetheless, yes, you're right, there will be there will
(03:13):
be objections that we're used to that that's no problem.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Yeah, the one that always makes the only one that
ever makes me angry. You're welcome to object to anything
you want to, but the one that always makes me
angry is separation of church and state is if somehow
the United States Congress was trying to keep people from
praying they weren't in a public building. That's not what
the separation of church and state was all about. It
merely provided that there would not be a state sponsored
(03:38):
specific religion, correct.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
And I've I've read a number of books on that topic,
including those by by Dave Barton and some others. Uh,
you know, they just point out the obvious that that
that's not in the Constitution, that's that was written in
a case uh many many years ago, and we've somehow
lasted on to that and think that that's along the land.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Not No, you're right, Well, best luck with the bill, sir.
Well check in again. Appreciate your time. State Representative David
Spiller seven twenty seven
The question always is where can you pray? Is the
public school a safe place to pray? And it hasn't been,
and it hasn't been for a long long time. But
there's a bill, or at least I think there's a
couple of bills actually in front of the Texas State
legislature that would change that. State Representative David Speller had sponsored.
I think two of these bills. Let me make sure
I got the right bills here, too. Representative is one
(00:23):
of them fourteen twenty five. House Bill fourteen twenty five, Yes.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Fourteen twenty five is the one that provides for prayer
in schools and in the also carrying HB twenty one sixteen,
which provides for the team commandments in the classroom.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Okay, it should be pointed out here's what House Bill
fourteen twenty five would do. It would allow school districts
and charter schools to offer a period for prayer and
reading religious texts. Would not require students or employees to participate,
would require students to bring a consent form I assume
that is if they want to participate, and would allow
(00:59):
parents revoke a students consent. So you put all the
safeguards in there, right, So this is this is not
mandatory by any stretch of the imagination. This is completely
a voluntary program, exactly.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Not at all. No one should have any problem with
HB fourteen twenty five because number one from a local
school district standpoint, and I know because I've been on
a local school district board of trustees for many years
before I got the legislature, and we always talk about hey,
local control, local control. Well, this is purely local control.
(01:35):
The board would have a vote a resolution to either
adopt or not adopt a resolution to provide this opportunity
for students and faculty, by the way, and if so,
then they would implement that. But the only way that
anyone participates is if they sign a consent for him.
And there's some safeguards that those students while this is
(01:55):
going on that they're not in the same area within
hearing distance of that. So anyone that doesn't opt in
is not affected anyone other than just the benefit that
they received from that each day would not otherwise be affected.
As for as anything that relates to.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
The classroom, Well, you said a moment ago, and you're right,
by the way, nobody should object. But somebody always does unfortunately,
So I guess the question. I'm sure, I'm sure you've
heard from some other members of the state legislature who
object to your bill. What are their objections, what are
they concerned about? I don't know.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
I really haven't heard from other members yet. It's a
relative a new bill, and we're just getting started down here,
and so we haven't taken up in these bills and
committee are in the House. Our committees have not yet
been formed. It's hard to together and organize and put
one hundred and fifty people on multiple committees and get
that put together. I expect that that may be done
(02:52):
before the end of the week, especially except the emergency atoms.
The governor have it laid out yesterday. So I haven't
heard from that many other men other than other Republican
members that have been very, very supportive. More of the
controversy comes on the UH on the King Commandmentsville. But
but nonetheless, yes, you're right, there will be there will
(03:13):
be objections that we're used to that that's no problem.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Yeah, the one that always makes the only one that
ever makes me angry. You're welcome to object to anything
you want to, but the one that always makes me
angry is separation of church and state is if somehow
the United States Congress was trying to keep people from
praying they weren't in a public building. That's not what
the separation of church and state was all about. It
merely provided that there would not be a state sponsored
(03:38):
specific religion, correct.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
And I've I've read a number of books on that topic,
including those by by Dave Barton and some others. Uh,
you know, they just point out the obvious that that
that's not in the Constitution, that's that was written in
a case uh many many years ago, and we've somehow
lasted on to that and think that that's along the land.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Not No, you're right, Well, best luck with the bill, sir.
Well check in again. Appreciate your time. State Representative David
Spiller seven twenty seven
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.