House Agriculture chairman Mike Conaway has decided that every hearing or markup at his committee will begin with a prayer, says Roll Call. “Congressional historians, House parliamentary experts and civil liberties groups all say such a standardized program of prayer at a committee is without precedent,” according to the Roll Call piece. Bob Boston of Americans United for Separation of Church and State said the prayers are “a public display of piety to score political points. Still, it sends a message of exclusion to people who aren’t of the same faith as the person praying.”
The House and Senate begin each session with prayer and so does the Supreme Court. In the first three Agriculture Committee meetings, Conaway asked Republicans Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania, Ralph Abraham of Louisiana and Austin Scott of Georgia to offer a public prayer. Each was brief.
The Supreme Court ruled last year that the Constitution allows municipal boards to open meetings with prayer, said Roll Call.