Ten Commandments Defense Act of 2003
Latest action · Jun 25, 2003 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMay 9, 2003
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Ten Commandments Defense Act of 2003 - Declares the following : (1) that the power to display the Ten Commandments on or within property owned or administered by the several States or their political subdivisions is among the powers reserved to the States respectively (under the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution); (2) that the expression of religious faith by individual persons on or within property owned or administered by the several States or their political subdivisions is among the rights secured (under the First Amendment) against laws respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise of religion made or enforced by the Federal Government; and (3) that the expression of religious faith by individual persons on or within property owned or administered by the several States or their political subdivisions is among the liberties of which no State shall deprive any person without due process of law made in pursuance of powers reserved to the States respectively.
Cosponsors 118
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 9, 2003 to Oct 7, 2004; 55 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-PA | Bill Shuster | Original | May 9, 2003 |
| R-CO | Bob Beauprez | Original | May 9, 2003 |
| R-VA | Bob Goodlatte | Original | May 9, 2003 |
| R-ID | C. L. (Butch) Otter | Original | May 9, 2003 |
| D-TX | Charles W. Stenholm | Original | May 9, 2003 |
| R-UT | Chris Cannon | Original | May 9, 2003 |
| R-IN | Chris Chocola | Original | May 9, 2003 |
| R-NJ | Christopher H. Smith | Original | May 9, 2003 |
| R-LA | David Vitter | Original | May 9, 2003 |
| R-KY | Ed Whitfield | Original | May 9, 2003 |
| R-VA | Eric Cantor | Original | May 9, 2003 |
| R-OK | Ernest J. Istook Jr. | Original | May 9, 2003 |
| R-SC | Henry E. Brown, Jr. | Original | May 9, 2003 |
| R-AZ | J. D. Hayworth | Original | May 9, 2003 |
| R-FL | Jeff Miller | Original | May 9, 2003 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred May 9, 2003 |
| Constitution and Limited Government Subcommittee | Referred Jun 25, 2003 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 25, 2003Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution.
- May 9, 2003Introduced in House
- May 9, 2003Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H7952 | Mike Pence R-IN | Sep 5, 2003 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To defend the Ten Commandments.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Ten Commandments Defense Act of 2003
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 9, 2003Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.