HARRISBURG – Sponsored by Sen. Cris Dush (R-25), legislation to allow Pennsylvania public schools to display the preamble of both the state (Senate Bill 353) and federal (Senate Bill 456) constitutions was approved by the Senate on Tuesday.
“Constitutional Republics are unique throughout world history,” said Dush. “While other forms of government have relied on the use of force for a dictator, monarch or totalitarian organization to make subjects of the people, constitutional republics such as ours rely on a written declaration of ‘The People’ as to what form of government we will accept. Enactment of my legislation would fully restore the right of Pennsylvania school districts to display both preambles in every taxpayer-funded school building—if and when they choose to do so.”
More specifically, Senate Bill 353 and Senate Bill 456 both contain language which would enable each preamble to take the form of mounted plaques or artwork from a student contest that can be prominently and proudly displayed at every educational facility that accepts Commonwealth tax dollars.
“Sadly, due largely to woke indoctrination running rampant in some classrooms—which is often supplemented by the ever-increasing sexually explicit materials housed in our school libraries without parental consent—we are moving dangerously close to the point where our commonwealth’s official motto of ‘Virtue, Liberty and Independence’ will be permanently shelved from public discourse and collective understanding,” warned Dush. “It is my prayer that these preamble displays will serve as a daily reminder to students preparing to take their place in our constitutional republic about the enduring knowledge, power and responsibility they stand to inherit.”
Senate Bill 353 and Senate Bill 456 now advance to the PA House for consideration.
“Again, it is no coincidence, that the preamble of our republic’s Constitution, like the preamble of our state Constitution – which was ratified first – begins with ‘We the People,’” said Dush. “This timeless, three-word phrase remains foundational to America’s unrivaled, government-limiting franchise and clearly demonstrates that the right to govern is exclusively granted by the people. Updated for the 21st century, this means ‘Government Can’t Touch’ any of our God-given, self-evident rights. It is my hope that displaying these constitutional preambles in our schools will motivate students to think for themselves and achieve a deeper understanding of how these founding documents directly impact their everyday lives as commonwealth and American citizens.”
CONTACT: Ty McCauslin, Communications Director at 717-787-7084 or tmccauslin@pasen.gov.