HR 2045 · 108th Congress 2003–2005, ended

Ten Commandments Defense Act of 2003

Introduced May 9, 2003 Originated House Sponsor Robert B. Aderholt R-AL

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
R-SC	Jim DeMint	Original	May 9, 2003
R-KS	Jim Ryun	Original	May 9, 2003
R-AL	Jo Bonner	Original	May 9, 2003
R-SC	Joe Wilson	Original	May 9, 2003
R-MN	John Kline	Original	May 9, 2003
R-IN	John N. Hostettler	Original	May 9, 2003
R-CA	John T. Doolittle	Original	May 9, 2003
R-PA	Joseph R. Pitts	Original	May 9, 2003
D-KY	Ken Lucas	Original	May 9, 2003
R-TX	Kevin Brady	Original	May 9, 2003
R-NE	Lee Terry	Original	May 9, 2003
R-CO	Marilyn N. Musgrave	Original	May 9, 2003
R-IN	Mark E. Souder	Original	May 9, 2003
R-TN	Marsha Blackburn	Original	May 9, 2003
R-PA	Melissa A. Hart	Original	May 9, 2003
R-TX	Michael C. Burgess	Original	May 9, 2003
R-OH	Michael G. Oxley	Original	May 9, 2003
D-NC	Mike McIntyre	Original	May 9, 2003
R-IN	Mike Pence	Original	May 9, 2003
R-AL	Mike Rogers	Original	May 9, 2003
R-OH	Patrick J. Tiberi	Original	May 9, 2003
R-TX	Pete Sessions	Original	May 9, 2003
R-MI	Peter Hoekstra	Original	May 9, 2003
R-IL	Philip M. Crane	Original	May 9, 2003
R-NC	Robin Hayes	Original	May 9, 2003
R-MS	Roger F. Wicker	Original	May 9, 2003
R-KY	Ron Lewis	Original	May 9, 2003
R-MD	Roscoe G. Bartlett	Original	May 9, 2003
R-TX	Sam Johnson	Original	May 9, 2003
R-AL	Spencer Bachus	Original	May 9, 2003
R-IA	Steve King	Original	May 9, 2003
R-NC	Sue Wilkins Myrick	Original	May 9, 2003
R-KS	Todd Tiahrt	Original	May 9, 2003
R-TX	Tom DeLay	Original	May 9, 2003
R-FL	Tom Feeney	Original	May 9, 2003
R-VA	Virgil H. Goode Jr.	Original	May 9, 2003
R-MO	W. Todd Akin	Original	May 9, 2003
R-CA	Wally Herger	Original	May 9, 2003
R-NC	Walter B. Jones	Original	May 9, 2003
R-TN	Zach Wamp	Original	May 9, 2003
R-MS	Charles W. "Chip" Pickering		May 15, 2003
R-SC	J. Gresham Barrett		May 15, 2003
R-VA	Jo Ann Davis		May 15, 2003
D-TX	Jim Turner		May 21, 2003
R-GA	Charles W. Norwood		Jun 5, 2003
R-IL	Ray LaHood		Jun 5, 2003
R-FL	Ginny Brown-Waite		Jun 12, 2003
R-MI	Fred Upton		Jun 19, 2003
R-IL	John Shimkus		Jul 25, 2003
R-CA	Ken Calvert		Jul 25, 2003
R-TX	Ron Paul		Jul 25, 2003
R-OK	John Sullivan		Sep 3, 2003
R-WI	Mark Green		Sep 3, 2003
R-TX	Ralph M. Hall		Sep 3, 2003
D-AL	Robert E. (Bud) Cramer Jr.		Sep 3, 2003
R-FL	Dave Weldon		Sep 5, 2003
R-VA	J. Randy Forbes		Sep 5, 2003
R-MN	Jim Ramstad		Sep 5, 2003
R-TX	Joe Barton		Sep 5, 2003
R-OH	Michael R. Turner		Sep 5, 2003
R-MO	Roy Blunt		Sep 5, 2003
R-NJ	Scott Garrett		Sep 5, 2003
R-AL	Terry Everett		Sep 5, 2003
R-AZ	Trent Franks		Sep 5, 2003
R-FL	Ander Crenshaw		Sep 9, 2003
R-TX	John Abney Culberson		Sep 9, 2003
R-AR	John Boozman		Sep 9, 2003
R-GA	Jack Kingston		Sep 10, 2003
R-GA	Mac Collins		Sep 10, 2003
D-WV	Nick J. Rahall II		Sep 10, 2003
R-CA	Duncan Hunter		Sep 24, 2003
R-VA	Edward L. Schrock		Sep 24, 2003
D-MS	Gene Taylor		Sep 24, 2003
R-NC	Richard Burr		Sep 24, 2003
R-IN	Steve Buyer		Sep 24, 2003
R-OK	Frank D. Lucas		Sep 30, 2003
R-TX	Henry Bonilla		Sep 30, 2003
D-TX	Max Sandlin		Sep 30, 2003
R-GA	Nathan Deal		Sep 30, 2003
R-CA	Randy (Duke) Cunningham		Sep 30, 2003
R-CA	Richard W. Pombo		Sep 30, 2003
R-AZ	Rick Renzi		Sep 30, 2003
R-UT	Rob Bishop		Sep 30, 2003
R-TN	William L. Jenkins		Sep 30, 2003
R-MO	Jo Ann Emerson		Oct 2, 2003
R-GA	Johnny Isakson		Oct 2, 2003
R-MO	Sam Graves		Oct 2, 2003
R-PA	John E. Peterson		Oct 16, 2003
R-NY	John M. McHugh		Oct 16, 2003
D-AR	Mike Ross		Oct 16, 2003
R-FL	Ric Keller		Oct 16, 2003
R-FL	Cliff Stearns		Oct 29, 2003
R-MO	Kenny C. Hulshof		Oct 29, 2003
R-GA	Phil Gingrey		Oct 29, 2003
R-MI	Dave Camp		Nov 7, 2003
R-IL	Donald A. Manzullo		Jan 28, 2004
R-TX	John R. Carter		Jan 28, 2004
R-LA	Richard H. Baker		Jan 28, 2004
R-NM	Stevan Pearce		Jan 28, 2004
R-PA	Todd Russell Platts		Jan 28, 2004
R-ID	Michael K. Simpson		Feb 24, 2004
R-TX	Randy Neugebauer		Sep 9, 2004
R-NC	Charles H. Taylor		Oct 7, 2004

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

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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.