Democrat's Freedom to Pray proposal gains GOP support

• Bossier Parish sheriff lost %2415%2C000 federal grant in June for Young Marines youth program
• Department of Justice told him it was because the program uses God in its oath%2C allows voluntary prayer
• Sheriff vowed not to remove God from Young Marines%2C found money from elsewhere for program

BENTON, La. — A Republican has joined Sen. Mary Landrieu's efforts to prohibit the federal government from withholding money for programs whose participants voluntarily engage in religious activities.

The Louisiana Democrat introduced legislation July 11 called the Freedom to Pray Act in response to cuts to a Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office Young Marines Program. The program for students 8 to 18 mentions God in its oath and allows youth-led prayer.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., signed on Wednesday as the only co-sponsor of the bill, which has been referred to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. It must pass the committee, have the OKs of both houses of Congress and get the president's signature before becoming law.

"I will continue to work to build support on both sides of the aisle to get this important legislation passed and put an end to the Department of Justice's overreach," Landrieu said in a statement.

In June, Bossier Sheriff Julian Whittington lost $15,000 in federal money for his Young Marines Program because of its religious component. He said the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division told him the money would be restored if he would sign a letter pledging to eliminate prayers and mentions of God at the meetings.

Instead, Whittington withdrew his grant application and said would use other departmental money to pay for the program, gaining international attention.

I have said all along that this is not a Democrat issue, it's not a Republican issue, … it's an American issue," Whittington said. "It seems to me that if the federal government followed the U.S. Constitution and upheld our basic religious freedoms, we wouldn't be dealing with this matter of overt overreach in the first place."

Meanwhile, a Louisiana congressman, GOP Rep. John Fleming, said Landrieu's attempt to ensure the right to pray is not necessary.

"Existing statute and case law provides ample protection for voluntary prayer at the Young Marines program, and Senator Landrieu's bill is merely a restatement of that law," he said. "Giving him (Attorney General Eric Holder) another law to ignore is not the answer."