HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 1022

         A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION,  Supporting the National Motto of the United States.

     WHEREAS,  the National Motto of the United States of America is In God We Trust; and

     WHEREAS,  the National Motto was adopted in 1956 and is codified at 36 U.S.C.A. §  302; and

     WHEREAS,  the National Motto reflects the traditional sentiment that we are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being; and

     WHEREAS,  the sentiment In God We Trust is deeply interwoven into the fabric of our civil polity; and

     WHEREAS,  the sentiment of the National Motto is as the Republic itself, and has always been as integral a part of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution as the very words of that charter of religious liberty; and

     WHEREAS,  that the Founding Fathers believed devotedly that there was a God, and that the unalienable rights of man were rooted in Him, is clearly evidenced in their writings, from the Mayflower Compact to the United States Constitution itself; and

     WHEREAS,  our national and state life reflects a religious people who earnestly pray that the Supreme Lawgiver guide them in every measure which may be worthy of His blessing; and

     WHEREAS,  the National Motto serves the secular purpose of expressing confidence in the future and encouraging the recognition of what is worthy of appreciation in society; and

     WHEREAS,  the National Motto appears on all coins and paper currency issued by the United States government; and

     WHEREAS,  the words, In God We Trust, are over the entrance to the United States Senate Chamber and are prominently engraved in the wall above the Speaker's dias in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives; and

     WHEREAS,  on July 24, 2000, the United States of America, acting by and through Congress assembled, did unanimously resolve to affirm its support for the National Motto and to support and encourage the display of the National Motto in all public buildings and public schools:

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     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED,  by the House of Representatives of the Seventy- seventh Legislature of the State of South Dakota, the Senate concurring therein, that the Legislature of the State of South Dakota supports and encourages the public display of the National Motto in all public buildings, public schools, and other government institutions established or maintained at taxpayer expense within the state and declares its support for the National Motto.

Adopted by the House of Representatives,

Concurred in by the Senate,

Scott Eccarius Speaker of the House	Karen Gerdes Chief Clerk of the House
Carole Hillard President of the Senate	Patricia Adam Secretary of the Senate