Pre-game prayer bill going to full Florida House
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. โ A proposal that could allow high schools to offer prayers over public-address systems before athletic championship games is headed to the full Florida House. The athletic association has argued that allowing a prayer over the loudspeaker would have been viewed as โgovernment speech.โThe bill, sponsored by Rep. Webster Barnaby, R-Deltona, was approved Wednesday by the House Education & Employment Committee in a 15-6 vote after little discussion. The bill would require allowing schools to offer up to two-minute remarks over public-address systems. The athletic association could not control the content of the remarks. The vote positioned the bill to be considered by the full House.
Praying for a win: Florida bill would OK it in school sports
The bill would require the Florida High School Athletic Association to give each team an opportunity to address the crowd over a public announcement system for no more than two minutes each. It would apply to public and private schools, and Republican Rep. Webster Barnaby said that could include prayer. โI recall the first day that when all of us sat in that House, we opened the House of Representatives with what?โ Barnaby said. AdDemocratic Rep. Susan Valdes, a former Hillsborough County School Board member, said even at graduations, students sometimes veer away from their approved speeches. Under the bill language, the association โmay not control, monitor, or review the content of the opening remarks and may not control the school's choice of speaker.โThe bill has one more House committee stop.