[19980420]98-387_教会和国家法律：拟议的宗教自由修正案H.J.Res78.pdf

370 U.S. 421 (1962).1 374 U.S. 203 (1963).2Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS Web98-387 AApril 20, 1998The Law of Church and State: The ProposedReligious Freedom Amendment, H.J.Res. 78(name redacted)Legislative AttorneyAmerican Law DivisionSummaryOn March 4, 1998, the House Judiciary Committee voted to report H.J.Res. 78, theReligious Freedom Amendment, to the House. The proposal is the latest in a longchain of constitutional amendments that have been introduced since the Supreme Courtsschool prayer decisions of Engel v. Vitale and Abington School District v. Schempp.12But this is the first time a constitutional amendment concerning church and state hasbeen ordered reported by a House committee. The scope and effect of H.J.Res. 78 arealso considerably broader than the school prayer issue that has been the focus of mostprevious proposals, and in that respect the measure appears to build on the debate onchurch-state issues that occurred in the 104 Congress. This report summarizesthlegislative developments on the proposal and briefly analyzes its likely legal effect ifadded to the Constitution.Legislative BackgroundOn