Unlimited Chances
Mr. INHOFE. (R -Oklahoma)Mr. President, I know the distinguished Senator from Washington is very sincere in her remarks, but I believe there is a problem in insisting that we are legislating on a situation that doesn't exist. I will point out examples of that.
When Senator Helms first started, his microphone wasn't quite on high enough and we were not able to hear his remarks. I will repeat the first couple of things he said. He talked about the Boy Scout movement in our Nation as being part of the largest voluntary youth movement in the world, with U.S. membership totaling over 6 million. He also mentioned the three basic fundamental principles.
The fundamental principles of the Boy Scouts include, one, a duty to God and respect for individual beliefs; two, loyalty to country and respect for the laws of the land, service to others, and a spirit of voluntarism; and, three, the training of youth in responsible citizenship, physical and mental development, and character advancement.
As a private organization, the Boy Scouts of America has the right to select persons it believes will provide the leadership that measures up to the high caliber of standards of this fine institution. Boy Scouts and other similar groups have a constitutional right to associate freely, and our publicly funded schools should not inhibit that right of access to public school facilities.
Not only is this my opinion; it has been found to be the law of the land by the Supreme Court. In June of last year--this has been alluded to--in Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, the Supreme Court ruled that Boy Scouts have the constitutional right to specifically exclude homosexual members and leaders. The Helms amendment was prompted by the denial of public school access to groups such as the Boy Scouts even after this Supreme Court decision.
For example, the Broward County school board voted to keep Boy Scouts from using public schools to hold meetings, in direct violation of the Supreme Court's decision. Luckily, in the Boy Scouts v. School Board of Broward County, in March of this year, the U.S. district court in Florida issued an injunction to block the county's attempt to evict the Scouts from public school property.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case. This is why I make the point that there is a problem out there. The Congressional Research Service, which Senator Helms> alluded to, has reported that at least nine school districts have publicly attacked Boy Scouts, which is in direct contradiction of the ruling of the Supreme Court.
Let me give a couple examples of this. In Chapel Hill, NC, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board voted, on January 11, 2001, to give Scouts until June to either go against the rules of their organization or lose their sponsorship and meeting places in schools. In New York City, the New York City school chancellor, Harold Levy, said the school system would not enter into any new contracts with the Boy Scouts of America. This is something that happened after that Supreme Court decision. The Los Angeles City Council has ``directed all of the city's departments to review contracts with Boy Scouts and order an audit of those contracts to ensure compliance with a nondiscrimination clause.''
In Madison, WI, it is the same thing. It goes on and on--quite a lengthy list.
The repetitive, hostile actions taken against the Boy Scouts are inexcusable and against the law and should be stopped immediately.
T The Helms amendment reinforces the constitutional rights of Boy Scouts and the Supreme Court decision upholding those rights. This amendment states that if a public school has designated ``open forum,'' then the school cannot discriminate against Boy Scouts of America or any youth group on the basis of its membership or leadership criteria or on the basis of its oath of allegiance to God and country.
T The oversight provisions of the amendment ensure that the Office of Civil Rights within the Department of Education will protect the Boy Scouts as it protects other groups that have been or are discriminated against. We are talking about antidiscrimination in this amendment.
T The amendment proposes that any public school receiving Federal funding from the Department of Education must allow the Boy Scouts or other similar youth groups equivalent access to school facilities and must not discriminate against these groups by requiring them to admit homosexuals as members or leaders or any other individuals who reject the Boy Scout oath of allegiance to God and country.
T So I just submit that I disagree, and it is an honest disagreement with the Senator from Washington. There is a problem, and it is necessary to legislate against this problem.
T I yield the floor.
To Subscribe to the Reagan Monitor, the newsletter that gives you news FACTS you can USE to make your life, and the world, better go to:
Start Your Subscription