Washington, D.C. – Today, the Public Expression of Religion Act (HR 2679, also known as PERA), is scheduled to go before the United States House of Representatives for a final vote.

PERA, which has 66 sponsors in the House, prohibits damages, attorney’s fees and costs from being awarded to plaintiffs who bring suit claiming violations of the Establishment Clause. If the bill passes, advocacy groups like the ACLU would no longer be able to use the threat of monetary awards to force the Boy Scouts off of public property or remove Nativity scenes, religious symbols from city seals or from veterans’ memorials, Ten Commandments displays, the words “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance, or any other public expression of religion.

If PERA passes both the House and the Senate, a plaintiff who files suit against government officials over an Establishment Clause violation and wins would be entitled to a court order halting any unconstitutional action by the government, but could not recover damages, attorney’s fees or costs, which many times reach hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Liberty Counsel, a nationwide litigation, education and policy organization, recently delivered over 80,000 petitions in support of PERA to Congressman John Hostettler (R-IN), who is one of the primary sponsors of PERA.

Mathew D. Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, who testified before House and Senate Judiciary Subcommittees on the Constitution in favor of the bill, commented: “The Public Expression of Religion Act is common sense legislation. Taxpayers should not have to fork over their hard-earned dollars to advocacy groups bent on promoting a narrow, antireligious agenda. Taxpayers in San Diego paid the ACLU $950,000 to fund litigation to boot the Boy Scouts from using a public park. That is insane. The message of PERA is simple – advocacy groups can still file legitimate claims, but the taxpayers will not be forced to fill their coffers.”

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Liberty Counsel does not charge clients for representation, so we depend on individuals, groups and churches that care about advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of human life and the traditional family. Liberty Counsel is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that accepts tax-deductible donations. Donate or order resources from the Liberty Counsel online store.