Preamble

“We, the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance, do ordain and establish this Constitution.”

U.S. Constitution Preamble

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Sen. Scott Martin is pictured during a Senate Education Committee meeting last week.

A pair of state senators want all Pennsylvania schools to display the Preamble to the United States and Pennsylvania Constitutions.

Sen. Cris Dush, R-Cameron/Clearfield/Clinton/Elk/Jefferson/McKean/Potter/Tioga, introduced Senate Bill 934 in late October to require the state Constitution’s preamble to be displayed, followed two days later by Senate Bill 935 by Sen. Scott Martin, R-Lancaster, with a similar requirement for the U.S. Constitution’s Preamble.

Dush’s bill would require the Pennsylvania Constitution’s Preamble to be displayed in the entrance of every school building where state building is provided. It would include both public schools and colleges or universities,” Dush wrote in his legislative memorandum. It passed the Senate Education Committee last week by a 6-4, party line vote, with Sen. Michele Brooks, R-Erie/Crawford/Mercer/Warren, voting in favor.

“This declaration is foundational to the form of government ‘the people’ chose to write, administer and interpret the law while reserving to themselves the “supreme power” to “change the form of government” through our Constitutions. May this be a daily reminder to students preparing to take their place in this republic, of the power and responsibility they will assume.”

Martin’s bill works similarly, with the requirement to display the Preamble applying to every educational facility that accepts state tax dollars. It, too, passed the Senate Education Committee by a 6-4, party line, vote. Dush is a co-sponsor along with six other Republican senators that includes Sen. Scott Hutchinson, R-Butler/Clarion/Forest/Venango/Warren. Hutchinson is also a co-sponsor of Dush’s bill.

“A simple paragraph that the Framers of the Constitution agreed upon to establish intent and properly summarize the importance of our new governing document, the preamble was a promise to the American people that our young nation would always strive to do better, to protect, to promote and lift up its citizens in a way never truly experienced before in human history,” Martin wrote in his legislative justification. “I want to emphasize that point, no populace had been governed in a manner established by our Constitution before. There are of course similarities, lessons learned from previous civilizations, but nothing truly like our Constitutional Republic that would later be described as the American Experiment. That is why it is incumbent upon us to ensure that our future generations understand the importance of our form of government and the God-given liberties it protects.”

Earlier this year, the Texas Legislature approved legislation that would require some public schools and universities to display the official national motto “In God We Trust” in prominent places in all campus buildings. It was sent to Gov. Greg Abbott for consideration.